Property Of The Week: Margot Fonteyn’s $85.81m London Mansion For Sale

Luxury developer Caudwell has unveiled Fonteyn House on Thurloe Place, a magnificent new mansion in Knightsbridge with its own gated private driveway, formerly the London home of iconic British prima ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn. Fonteyn House provides 15,980 square feet of luxurious interior designed and dressed living space including six-bedroom suites, three reception/family rooms, cinema/club room, health spa with gym and 15 metre swimming pool, garden gallery, passenger lift, walled garden, outside dining terrace and a rooftop terraced garden with a kitchen/bar and views of the V&A Museum opposite.

Located a short walk from Harrods, Hyde Park, Brompton Cross and South Kensington Village, Fonteyn House was originally built in 1928 and between the 1930s and late 1990s served as the official residence of the Ambassador of Panama. In 2011 it was sold and plans were then devised by GMA Architecture to refurbish and extend the property. Granted planning consent in 2016 the restoration work was undertaken between 2017 to 2023, creating the finest new residence in Knightsbridge now for sale by Caudwell.

Behind the retained period garden façade there is now a brand new, turn-key trophy residence offering 5-star amenities and luxurious state-of-the-art specification, with the finest finishes including Arabescato Calacatta and Saint Laurent marble, Portland stone, bespoke fittings, handcrafted Oak joinery in a range of unique finishes, comfort heating/cooling, home entertainment and security systems.

Fonteyn House is named after Dame Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991), the world’s most famous prima ballerina, who in 1955 married Dr Roberto Emilio Arias (1918-1989), a diplomat and son of Harmadio Arias, who was President of Panama during the 1930s.

Beautifully restored and immaculately presented, Fonteyn House provides a grand three storey Art Deco inspired mansion with French and sash windows, first floor ornamental balconies and a bay to the garden.

Shared with only one other house, the private driveway has automatic entrance gates and offers substantial off-street parking for up to six vehicles. Inside, the mansion offers substantial lateral living space over the spa floor, lower ground floor with outside terrace, ground and two upper floors. The stairwell atrium that rises through the house and the skylights to the lower ground floor terrace enable natural light to cascade through all levels of Fonteyn House. The large main rooms, generous ceiling heights on all levels and elegant coving to the principal floors add to the bright, spacious and refined ambience.

The dual aspect main reception room has French windows running along two sides with a bay and French doors opening onto the garden. This substantial room has parquet flooring in a Herringbone pattern, elegant coving and an Emperador marble Regency fireplace. The space provides a living room, 12 seat dining room and an entertaining area, with built-in cocktail bar clad in rare Persian Palissandro Bluette marble, drinks cabinet and further seating.

The French doors in the garden gallery and main reception room can be opened creating an extremely large inside-outside entertaining area able to accommodate over 100 guests. The walled garden has terraces, a barbeque area and a raised lawn and lounge area with its own marble fireplace with built-in cinema screen, providing a wonderful outdoor entertaining, al fresco dining and screening venue.

The principal bedroom suite has its own private level on the first floor and provides two separate main bedrooms. Formerly the bedroom of Dame Margot Fonteyn, the first main bedroom has a day area with chaise longue and a bay window with Juliet balconies, twin walk-in dressing rooms with built-in cupboards and twin main bathrooms clad in rare marble with Art Deco detailing. The second main suite has a bedroom with feature skylight, study, walk-in dressing room with glass roof and a marble ensuite bathroom.

The house is complete with extensive back-of-house facilities including a staff apartment, a servery kitchen with butler’s lift (dumb waiter) to the dining room, pantry, laundry room and secondary staircases and entrances for staff use.

John Caudwell, British businessman, philanthropist and Founder of Caudwell says: “Just a short walk from Harrods Fonteyn House is a magnificent new Knightsbridge mansion with its own gated private driveway, built behind the retained period garden façade to an exceptional level of quality, craftsmanship and luxury. With unrivalled health and leisure facilities, a walled garden and rooftop terrace it is without doubt the finest house in Knightsbridge.”

Lars Christiaanse, Group Director of Sales at Caudwell says: “Originally the Knightsbridge home of iconic prima ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn Fonteyn House has entertained Royalty, famous fashion designers and world renowned performing artists. When Rudolf Nureyev, Fonteyn’s ballet partner, defected from Russia in 1961 he lived at Fonteyn House whilst his contract with the Royal Ballet was being negotiated and he used to practice ballet with Dame Margot in the dance studio on the second floor. The driveway shields the house from the street and this seclusion gives the garden an exceptionally quiet and peaceful ambience that resembles a country house garden rather than a city one. The house has a unique ultra-prime London location midway between Harrods, Brompton Cross and South Kensington village so Fonteyn House will appeal to buyers from around the world including the Middle East, Europe and America.”

Fonteyn House is for sale with a guide price of £65,000,000 ($85.81 million US dollars). For further information visit www.caudwell.com.

Photo courtesy: Caudwell/Alex Winship