Going for Gold

After a 13-year wait, Tom Daley recently won the first gold medal of his Olympic diving career! Beloved in Britain as a sporting star and champion of LGBTQ rights, fans of the famous diver will be excited to learn that the Olympian’s former South London flat has just been put on the market by leading independent Estate Agents Dexters for £999,999.

Owned by Daley between 2014 and 2018, the luxurious open-plan flat has two double bedrooms and two bathrooms covering 962 sq ft. Tweeting about the property in 2018 the 27-year-old Olympic swimmer said: ‘So many memories from this place. Hopefully, it will find a lovely new owner’, adding a heart emoji to his message.

Located in Apollo Building, on a quiet residential road in heart of SE1, the flat is a stone’s throw away from London Bridge Station and the Shard as well as foodie hotspots such as Borough Market, Bermondsey Street and the South Bank. The Olympic athlete clearly enjoyed living in the area as he chose to settle down in a converted warehouse apartment with husband Dustin Lance Black, an American screenwriter and producer, just a ten-minute walk away from his former apartment on Pilgrimage Street.

As one might expect of a celebrity property, apartments in Apollo Building rarely come to the market. ‘The development offers residents a certain element of exclusivity, says Tom Johnston, Director of Dexters, London Bridge. ‘There is a genuine sense of community among the residents, and this adds to the property’s distinctive feel.’

This Southwark apartment is unique because it is south, east and west-facing, complete with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors which flood the apartment with natural light. The property also has not one, but three terraces that add about 800 square feet to the home and features underfloor heating, a video entrance phone and lift access. ‘Tom used to have a hot tub on the terrace’ Johnston adds, ‘although I’m not sure how much diving he could do in there!’

Daley is not the only celebrity to be attracted to the Southwark area. Golden Globe actress Ruth Wilson formerly rented her parent’s bolthole in SE1 and lives in a loft-style apartment nearby. Fashion designer Zandra Rhodes has also lived on Bermondsey Street since the 1990s and Norman Ackroyd, a famous artist and printmaker is a long-time resident in the area.

‘Tom Daley is a hero to so many people in Britain, so the fact that he once called this property home will certainly drive-up interest’, says Johnston. ‘The property will be great for a couple or family looking for a spacious and tranquil home right in the heart of the city’.