The Dh84m traditional London home with an oligarch’s upgrade

The 19th Century architectural test-bed has been upgraded to provide a true 21st Century living experience for the billionaire wanting a premium property in London.

Tower House in St John’s Wood in London was one of five homes on Carlton Hill built as test cases for new architectural designs in what became known as the Battle of the Styles – a conflict between GoShow more

London has earned a reputation as a magnet for billionaires from around the globe in recent years – from Russian oligarchs leaving their homeland either in friendly or unfriendly circumstances, to other emerging market business moguls and Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs.

Although the sources of their riches are diverse, one thing they share is a strong desire to retain them. That is, after all, one of the main reasons they end up in the UK’s capital, which has generous tax rules for those with a “non-domicile” status.

With this in mind, many traditional properties in the capital have been upgraded in recent years with a series of more modern features.

The Tower House in the prestigious St John’s Wood area of London is a good example of this. The detached home was built in 1850 and was one of five homes on Carlton Hill built as test cases for new architectural designs in what became known as the Battle of the Styles.

It has recently undergone an extensive refurbishment by the Chelsea-based antique furniture specialist Tarquin Bilgen and by Mathew Bray Decorative Arts studio. The £18.5 million (Dh83.9m), 8,956 square foot home is split over six main levels. The ground floor contains an entrance hall, study and dining room leading into a full-width drawing room that opens onto a large, upper terrace overlooking the garden.

The lower-ground floor has an open-plan kitchen/breakfast room with Poggenpohl appliances leading onto the lower terrace as well as a cinema, ­family room and an independent flat with a bedroom and ­living space for a nanny or housekeeper. The three upper floors contain a total of five bedrooms – four of which are en suite, including a master bedroom with two separate dressing room areas.

The basement, meanwhile, is the space that could most appeal to the billionaire buyer. It has a leisure complex comprising a 30-foot-long pool, a sauna, steam room and gym.

It also houses storage space including a “strong room” that contains a safe and a secure area that can be sealed off in case of any unwanted visitors. The house also has an extensive security system that includes alarms, panic buttons and CCTV cameras.

It is being sold by joint letting agents Savills and Russell ­Simpson.

Q&A: Giles Elliott, an associate director at Savills, tells Michael Fahy more about Tower House

What would you say is the main feature of this property?

Without doubt, the grand stone staircase, which climbs from the ground floor to the second floor, as well as leading down to the lower ground. The architecture is also very striking. There simply isn’t ­anything like it in the area.

Who would live in a house like this?

The Tower House would appeal to a high net-worth international purchaser whose children are likely to go to one of the international schools that can be found in the area.

Can you tell me more about the area?

Carlton Hill is close to the shopping facilities of St John’s Wood High Street and underground station. St John’s Wood High Street has a distinctly English village feel yet with a cosmopolitan population and mix of restaurants and shops.

What are the neighbours like?

The area at the top of Carlton Hill was for many years the home of actors, producers, directors and filmmakers associated with the nearby Kay Carlton Film Studios, where films such as The Monkey's Paw were produced. The property next door began life as a place of worship, before becoming one of the pre-eminent classical recording studios of the 20th Century and attracting musicians such as Henry Cummings, the opera singer, Leonard Fowles, the conductor and Dame Myra Hess, the pianist to live on Carlton Hill.

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