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    Winston Churchill’s London Home Can Be Yours for $25.2 Million

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    A London home that once belonged to the late statesman Winston Churchill has hit the market for £19.5 million (or about $25.2 million). The Englishman served as the Prime Minister of the U.K. twice, first from 1940 to 1945 during World War II and then from 1951 to 1955. Following his election defeat in 1945, Churchill reportedly bought 27 Hyde Park Gate for about $310,000 to use as an office. The location was ideal, next door to a townhouse he already owned, and he soon combined the two homes into one giant mansion. However, following his death in 1965, the Grade II-listed spread, just over two miles west of Buckingham Palace, was divided back into separate dwellings. 

    “Having been the cherished home of Sir Winston Churchill during a defining era in British history, this property has an illustrious heritage,” James Pace, head of Kensington sales at Knight Frank, told Mansion Global. 

    The pale-blue reception room’s stately fireplace is embellished with fluted columns.

    Knight Frank

    The elegant abode last changed hands in 2001 and is currently configured with six bedrooms arranged over four floors. There’s also a private terrace and a rather sizable formal garden thanks to its prime location on a quiet cul-de-sac. Inside, you’ll find much of the original character and charm, like wood-paneled flooring, intricate moldings, and stately fireplaces, remains intact. 

    The ground floor holds a dramatic double-height reception room in addition to a library and a sitting room. During Churchill’s time, a bedroom was positioned on this level where he reportedly recovered after breaking his leg while on vacation in Monte Carlo. Elsewhere, there’s a fairly modern-looking chef’s kitchen on the lower ground floor along with a breakfast room and formal dining area. The home now also includes its own gym. Fun fact: per English Heritage, Churchill converted one room at the adjacent 28 Hyde Park into his “snob library,” lined with his collection of finely bound books and portraits of his ancestors.

    The formal dining room spills out to the garden.

    Knight Frank

    Kensington has long been a hotbed of high-profile residents who include Madonna, JK Rowling, Stella McCartney, and, most notably, the late Freddie Mercury, who also owned a Kensington home known as Garden Lodge. The storied estate was put up for sale in February of this year for £30 million (roughly $38 million) by his longtime friend and former fiancée, Mary Austin. According to the listing, which is also being represented by Knight Frank, the late Queen frontman helped design the garden and stored the grand piano that he used to compose Bohemian Rhapsody here. 

    Click here to see more photos of Winston Churchill’s London home. 

    Knight Frank

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      Tom Ford Snaps Up a Posh London Mansion for $104 Million

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      Tom Ford is making headlines again, this time in the real estate arena, where he’s known as a regular buyer and seller of extraordinary homes.

      The billionaire fashion designer, who sold his eponymous label to Estée Lauder for $2.8 billion, has now broken a record for the priciest home sale in the U.K. this year after snapping up a London residence for a staggering £80 million ($104 million), The Times reported. The trophy dwelling, which is “believed to be a white stucco-fronted mansion,” is located in the city’s affluent Chelsea neighborhood near Hyde Park and the River Thames. However, further details regarding Ford’s new digs are still largely under wraps—other than it was last purchased for £16 million ($20 million) about two decades ago. 

      According to the British newspaper, the deal comes not long after Ford, the former creative director of Gucci, offloaded another of his residences, this one in tony Regent’s Park, for an impressive eight figures, and this latest transaction brings the value of his vast property portfolio to an eye-watering £270 million (or $351.6 million). One of Ford’s most notable holdings is Jackie Kennedy’s childhood summer home in the Hamptons, which he scooped up last summer for $52 million. The palatial East Hampton estate, known as Lasata, sits on a sprawling seven acres of land and features an eight-bedroom main residence, a guest house, a caretaker’s cottage, and a three-car garage. The Texas native bought the place from media producer David Zander, and before that, the big spread belonged to fashion designer and retail executive Reed Krakoff and his interior designer wife Delphine (who are currently selling another historic estate in New Canaan, Connecticut).

      So far, London has experienced a bit of a slump in the luxury real estate market in 2024 with a decline in high-end deals. It was previously reported that only 149 homes valued at £10 million (roughly $13.2 million) or more have traded hands in the past 12 months, compared with 192 in the prior period. In terms of who’s doing the buying, wealthy expats have been snapping up the city’s high-end properties thanks to favorable exchange rates. In fact, Knight Frank found that the percentage of U.S. buyers purchasing homes in London rose to 6.1 percent in the first six months of this year from 3.3 percent in the second part of 2023. 

      “There are obvious risks at the moment, but the super-prime market is still functioning, just at a reduced level,” Paddy Dring, global head of prime sales at Knight Frank, said in a statement. “It’s sometimes easy to forget just how attractive London is on the global stage.”

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      Princess Diana’s Former Family Home in London Just Sold for $14.2 Million

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      In one of the fastest celebrity real-estate deals since Emma Stone’s Spanish-style Los Angeles bungalow nabbed a buyer in less than two weeks, the former London home of Princess Diana’s stepmother, Countess Raine Spencer, has sold in just three days. 

      The residence at 24 Farm Street in Mayfair, which Diana frequently visited after her divorce from King Charles, originally went up for sale in late June for £10.95 million (or $14.2 million). It’s believed to be the quickest residential transactions in the neighborhood to go down this year, according to Wetherell, one of the firms that brokered the deal.

      The library was John Spencer’s favorite room in the house.

      WETHERELL

      “This is the first time that the Farm Street house has been on the market in 22 years, and it effectively sold in its first week on the market,” says Wetherell agent Robert Dawson in a statement. The Georgian-style mansion was built sometime in the early ‘80s and later purchased in 1990 by Diana’s father, John Spencer, as a gift for his second wife. After he died of a heart attack in 1992, the countess inherited the trophy property, plus a vacation home in the seaside town of Bognor Regis on the south coast of England. 

      The four-story estate sports a cream-colored stucco facade and features nearly 5,000 square feet of living space. Altogether, you’ll find five bedrooms, an elevator that accesses every floor, and a roof terrace at the tippy top. Most notably, the palatial pad bears similarities to Althorp, Princess Diana’s childhood home. For example, the dining room is decorated with the same red walls and glittering chandeliers as the royal residence. 

      The dining room where Countess Raine Spences used to entertain is modeled after Althorp House.

      WETHERELL

      The first floor of the home is decked out with a grand reception hall, a drawing room, and a stately library which is believed to have been her husband’s favorite room. There’s also a sleek-looking eat-in kitchen that opens onto a private outdoor patio. Upstairs, you’ll find two ensuite bedrooms, each with walk-in wardrobes. On the third floor, a self-contained guest suite offers up a bedroom, a dressing room, a bathroom, and access to the previously mentioned south-facing rooftop terrace. 

      The countess ended up selling the place in the early 2000s to art collectors Alan and Mary Hobart and moving back into the Grosvenor Square apartment where she lived with Earl Spencer. In addition to being a British socialite and local politician, Raine was well-known as the daughter of late romance novelist Dame Barbara Cartland. Interestingly, Cartland’s former Mayfair home was listed last year for $44 million. But that historic property has yet to find a buyer.  

      Click here to see more photos of Countess Raine Spencer’s London home. 

      WETHERELL

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      President Eisenhower’s Secret London Hideaway Lists for $11.8 Million

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      Telegraph Cottage, President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s hideaway on the outskirts of London during the months leading up to D-Day, was gutted by fire in 1987 but has since been painstakingly rebuilt and restored to its former grandeur. Known today as Telegraph House, the palatial pad is now up for grabs, asking a cool £8.95 million (or about $11.8 million).

      According to the listing, the original cottage served as Eisenhower’s principal residence and wartime headquarters from 1942 to 1945. During that time, only his close circle of confidants and staff knew that the five-star general was living there.

      After a fire tore through the property in the ’80s, five detached houses were erected within a 4.7-acre gated development known as the Coombe Estate. The current dwelling is one of those that currently occupies the site within the enclave that’s about half an hour outside Central London and is where other notable residents have included British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.

      RELATED: Londoners Stopped a Multimillion-Dollar Party Yacht From Cruising the River Thames. Here’s Why.

      French doors open to a rear garden.

      Harrods Estates

      “Telegraph House is an exceptional property, not only for its opulent modern amenities but also for its profound historical significance,” Shaun Drummond, residential director at Harrods Estates, said in a press statement. “Built on the site of President Eisenhower’s clandestine wartime residence, this neo-Georgian detached house masterfully combines timeless elegance with contemporary comfort. 

      RELATED: This $77 Million Penthouse Hovers Above London’s Hyde Park

      “During the Second World War, the original Telegraph Cottage provided Eisenhower with a peaceful retreat, offering him respite amidst some of the most critical moments in history. Today, this prestigious location affords a lifestyle that echoes the tranquility and convenience once sought by one of the 20th century’s most influential figures,” Drummond continued. 

      The kitchen has a marble waterfall island.

      Harrods Estates

      In its current form, the neo-Georgian manse comprises seven bedrooms across its 12,476 square feet. Of course, there has been a slew of modern upgrades since Eisenhower’s time, including the addition of central air conditioning throughout, a heat source recovery system, and a working elevator. Other standout amenities include an orangery, a 35-foot indoor swimming pool, a cinema room, a private gym, and a rear garden. 

      Potential buyers will also find a dramatic double-height reception hall upon entry, plus a swanky chef’s kitchen equipped with top-of-the-line appliances from Gaggenau, Wolf, and Sub-Zero. The place is decked out with its fair share of fine, high-end finishes too. Think stunning marble fireplaces, custom built-ins, and a grand staircase. 

      “Telegraph House is a true treasure, presenting an extraordinary way of life within a setting rich in history,” added Drummond.

      Click here to see more photos of Telegraph House. 

      Harrods Estates

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      The Former London Home of the Founder of ‘Riverdance’ Lists for $33 Million

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      Built in 1840, this west London residence has played host to some notable characters in its 184-year history. Nestled in the charming enclave of Little Venice, the Grade II-listed home, once owned by Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley, has hit the market for the first time in 20 years. Listed with Aston Chase for £26 million ($33 million), the palatial pad was originally built by English architect Matthew Wyatt and at one point was acquired by socialite and royal mistress Lillie Langtry, who was known to have romantic ties to more than one member of the English aristocracy. 

      The three-story property is positioned within Park Place Villas and directly overlooks the famous Regent’s Canal. According to listing records, Flatley, the creator of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, snapped up the spread in 1998 for a cool £4.75 million. That is, after he managed to outbid Madonna and Barbara Streisand. 

      The main reception room features a fireplace and ornate crown moldings.

      Aston Chase/Tony Murray

      “Two decades ago, three A-listers had a bidding war to acquire it, and we envisage there will be strong interest with this new listing as the Langtry villa is one of the most historically important houses in Little Venice,” says Michael Sulkin, director of Aston Chase, in a press statement. Altogether, the Victorian mansion comprises seven bedrooms, a drawing room with a Regency fireplace, and an adjoining conservatory.

      RELATED: This $10 Million London Townhouse Was Once Home to the Namesake of the U.K.’s Most Popular Tea

      Before Flatley handed the roughly 8,000-square-foot digs over to its current owners in 2004, he tapped architect and interior designer Peter Inston to revamp the place, including transforming the lower ground floor into a leisure hub complete with an indoor swimming pool, a gym, and a mahogany-clad club room with a cocktail bar and movie screen. Other of Flatley’s updates also still remain, like the diamond pattern marble flooring in the entrance hall, the imported French stone fireplace and red silk wallpaper in the dining room, and the Fourneaux de France Aga stove and banquet-style breakfast booth in the kitchen. It was here that the dancer used to host his A-list friends, including members of the Irish football team and members of the British royal family. 

      The barrel-roofed glass conservatory overlooks the lush backyard.

      Aston Chase/Tony Murray

      There are remnants from Langtry’s time at the villa as well, such as the pair of stone lions at the front door, a gazebo with a loveseat where she entertained Edward VII, then the heir apparent Prince of Wales, and a secret carriage driveway so her royal paramour could sneak in and out undetected.

      “The house has huge potential and a comprehensive refurbishment, and the installation of the latest specification would create one of the finest trophy homes in London,” adds co-founding director of Aston Chase, Mark Pollack. “With its colorful royal and celebrity backstory we anticipate significant interest in the villa from discerning buyers around the world.” 

      Click here to see more photos of Michael Flatley’s former London home. 

      Aston Chase/Tony Murray

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      Florence Nightingale’s Childhood Home Just Listed for $4.8 Million

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      Florence Nightingale famously wrote, “It breaks my heart to leave Lea Hurst.” Now, the same country estate in the U.K. where the nurse and statistician grew up is looking for its next owner.

      Lea Hurst, a Grade II-listed home in Derbyshire, has hit the market for £3.75 million (or roughly $4.8 million) with England’s Blue Book Agency. According to the listing, Nightingale’s wealthy father, William Nightingale (née Shore), inherited the historic property from his great-uncle in 1815. At the time, the property had a 17th-century farmhouse, which was transformed into the grandiose Elizabethan-style dwelling seen today. 

      When the Nightingales relocated to Embley Park in Hampshire in 1825, they kept Lea Hurst as a summer house, and the estate remained in the family until 1946. Beginning in the mid-1950s, the estate served as a residence for retired nurses and later operated as a nursing home under the Royal Surgical Society until 2004. Nightingale, who died in 1910 at the age of 90, is best remembered for founding the world’s first professional nursing school in London. 

      The drawing room at Lea Hurst, the historic county estate where Florence Nightingale lived as a child.

      Blue Book Agency

      RELATED: Cara Delevingne’s Childhood Home in London Lists for Nearly $30 Million 

      The current owner, Peter Kay, snagged the property in 2011 and spent the next three years restoring the place to its former glory, including recreating the original Victorian gardens. The Kay family has even gathered historic letters written by Nightingale, along with old photographs, drawings, and furniture connected to the house and the Nightingale clan. 

      “It has been a great pleasure and privilege to have owned the Lea Hurst estate, in Derbyshire’s beautiful Peak District, for the past 13 years,” Kay said in a statement. “We were drawn to Lea Hurst by its grand early Victorian gothic architectural styling and its stunning position overlooking the Derwent Valley. But it was the fact that this house was once the beloved home of one of our most important historical figures, Florence Nightingale, that made this an irresistible purchase for me.” 

      The formal dining room features a stone fireplace and original wood floors.

      Blue Book Agency

      The 13-bed abode sits on over 19 picturesque acres, with Derwent Valley on one side and mature parkland on the other. The home itself is entered via a gothic arched front door, which opens up to a grand reception hall decked out with high ceilings and flagstone flooring. Some of the standout spaces include a formal drawing room with original wooden floorboards, a wood-burning carved chimney, antique mirrored glass, and lots of bookshelves. The ground floor also holds a formal dining room, a butler’s pantry with built-in glazed cabinets, and a library where Nightingale was formerly homeschooled by her father. 

      The home has 13 total bedrooms.

      Blue Book Agency

      RELATED: Tom Ford Pays $52 Million for Jackie Kennedy’s Childhood Home in the Hamptons 

      Elsewhere, you’ll find a revamped chef’s kitchen with limestone flooring, a large island, granite counters, and a breakfast area. From here, you can access an outdoor dining terrace or scope out the game room, which has been kitted out with a billiards table. The upstairs holds all the bedrooms, including the primary, which features an original stone fireplace, an adjoining dressing room, and an ensuite bath. Interestingly, the double bedroom was personally used by Nightingale when she returned from caring for the British soldiers during the Crimean War.  

      “The most satisfying thing for us has been turning the house back into a family home for the first time since Florence and her sister Parthenope were running around here in the 1820s,” added Kay. “Our youngest two children were born in the house. It has been a wonderful place for our children to grow up in.” 

      Click here to see more photos of Lea Hurst.  

      Blue Book Agency

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      Freddie Mercury’s Former London Mansion Can Be Yours for $38 Million

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      No, this isn’t just fantasy. The real-life home of late music legend Freddie Mercury has hit the market.  

      Garden Lodge, located in London’s exclusive Kensington enclave, is just listed for £30 million (US$38 million). The former Queen frontman, who died in 1991 at age 45 of bronchial pneumonia, left the Neo-Georgian-style estate and all of its contents to his friend and former fiancée, Mary Austin. In the roughly 30 years since Austin has been living at and looking after the property full-time, but is now ready to part ways with the hallowed home. 

      “This house has been the most glorious memory box, because it has such love and warmth in every room,” Austin said in a press statement. “It has been a joy to live in and I have many wonderful memories here. Now that it is empty, I’m transported back to the first time we viewed it.”

      The late Freddie Mercury helped create the garden at his home in London.

      Knight Frank

      The stately brick residence was originally built in 1907 by architect Ernest Marshall for artist couple Cecil Rea and Constance Halford and was at one time owned by Peter Wilson, a former chairman of Sotheby’s. According to Knight Frank, which is handling the sale, the Mercury bought the place on the spot in 1980 and later tapped interior architect and designer Robin Moore Ede to renovate the palatial pad.

      Internally, the residence sports the finest marble accents, rich wood floors, and tons of bright jewel tones. Most notably, the walls of the dining room are painted a citrusy yellow—the singer’s favorite hue. Other highlights include the double-height drawing room, where Mercury stored the grand piano that he famously used to compose Bohemian Rhapsody. The British singer also helped design the garden, which is dotted with large magnolia trees and sculpted plantings.

      “Ever since Freddie and I stepped through the fabled green door, it has been a place of peace, a true artist’s house, and now is the time to entrust that sense of peace to the next person.”

      Many of the walls in Garden Lodge have been painted using bold and bright hues.

      Knight Frank

      “The sale of Garden Lodge presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a significant property combined with a piece of cultural history, the beloved home of an icon,” added Paddy Dring, global head of prime sales and joint head of Knight Frank’s Private Office. “Having been carefully preserved with love and respect over the last three decades, we expect that the exceptional provenance of the property will be incredibly alluring to buyers across the world.” 

      Last year, Austin sold off a treasure trove of the star’s possessions during a Sotheby’s auction. At the time, Mercury’s belongings ignited a bidding frenzy, so prospective buyers might want to move quickly.

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…

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      A Nutritionist to the Royals Puts Her Glam U.K. Townhouse Up for Sale

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      After nearly 14  years of ownership, Czech-born model-turned-health guru Gabriela Peacock has decided to return her U.K. mansion designed in the 1850s by noted architect William Radford back to the market.

      The “nutritionist that everyone wants on speed dial”—who is known for an A-list clientele that has included the likes of Prince Harry, princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, James Blunt and Dame Joan Collins—is looking to sell the stylish residence in the heart of Notting Hill for around $27 million, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

      Records show the founder of GP Nutrition and her hedge-funder husband David Peacock purchased the Victorian-style dwelling for £13 million in 2010 as newlyweds, after marrying on Lake Como. They spent the next two-and-a-half years extensively renovating the dated interiors, which included tacking on a basement level replete with an office and entertainment room, plus a gym, wine cellar, family room, guest bedroom, and staff wing with its own bedroom and kitchen.

      The 1800s townhouse underwent a full modernization at the hands of its current owners.

      Alex Winship for United Kingdom Sotheby’s International Realty

      Billed in marketing materials as “the perfect blend of period features and modern interventions”—and resting amid one of the neighborhood’s prime tree-lined streets, within walking distance of the shops and restaurants of Westbourne Grove, and less than a mile from Hyde Park—the detached five-story property offers gated parking for two vehicles out front, and features seven bedrooms and five bathrooms in a little more than 6,500 square feet of living space.

      Highlights include a raised ground-level entrance hall adorned with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the rear patio and garden, along with a double reception room ideal for entertaining. The garden level hosts a combination dining/living area spotlighted by folding glass doors spilling outside, as well as a gourmet kitchen outfitted with an eat-in island and top-tier stainless appliances. A plush master retreat occupying the entire first floor comes complete with a private balcony, walk-in dressing area and luxe bath, while four more bedrooms can be found on the top level.

      Per WSJ, the Peacocks are selling because they want to move to the countryside. The listing is held by Marcus O’Brien and Dan Martin of United Kingdom Sotheby’s International Realty.

      Click here for more photos of Gabriela Peacock’s U.K. House.

      Gabriela Peacock House London More