A certain and particularly well-heeled section of society always loves to come in first place: the biggest bonus to splash around town; the most fabulous car to tool around in; the best Damien Hirst painting to hang over the fireplace. Unlike almost all its neighbors in London’s searingly expensive Cadogan Square, this six-story mansion has not been carved up into flats. The red-brick beast is the largest residence currently for sale in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Of course, anyone who wants the prestigious neighborhood’s biggest and baddest house needs to be very well-heeled indeed because the asking price for this trophy, listed by Becky Fatimi at Rokstone and Alex Christian and Richard Gutteridge at Savills, is an eye-watering $47 million.
Several years ago, the owners — South African-born English investor Julian Treger and his wife Leslie — proudly showed off the mansion in the French version of Architectural Digest . (As of about two years ago, the Tregers also maintained a spectacular cliffside home in the mountains near South Africa’s seaside town of Plettenberg Bay.)
Called Stuart House, the 11,351-square-foot behemoth is tucked behind Sloane Street, just a gemstone’s throw from Harrods, and comes with a rare and coveted key to the private Cadogan Square gardens, which are always locked to keep the hoi polloi from mucking the place up. Built in 1884, and Grade II-listed, the house retain original period features — ornate stone and plaster molding, huge stone fireplaces and grand staircases. These florid embellishments look fantastic juxtaposed against the owners’ classic furniture pieces and contemporary art collection, which includes one of Damien Hirst’s spin paintings in the dining room, albeit not over the fireplace.
Along with five opulent reception rooms spread over two floors — there are two 500-square-foot living rooms, a dining room and two studies, one of them nearly 40 feet long — there’s casual family room or what promo materials call a “teenage den” atop the house. There are also six bedrooms and a total of six full bathrooms, plus two powder rooms. The spacious master suite opens to a large private terrace, and includes a dressing area and enormous bath; a tiny staff suite, with a private kitchen and bath, is wedged into a dark corner of the basement.
