Beauchamp Estates has sold the £19.75 million 6,504 sq ft five bedroom London residence of the billionaire Hariri family in Cadogan Gardens in Knightsbridge, close to Harrods, to an ultra-high-net-worth Lebanese buyer who wanted a super-luxury London residence for his family.
Gary Hersham, Founding Director of Beauchamp Estates says: “Beauchamp Estates has sold this extremely refined London home of the Hariri family to an ultra-high-net-worth Lebanese businessman who wanted a super-luxury London home for his children to live in. London is the international capital of the world and Knightsbridge, on the doorstep of Harrods, is the place to be in the capital.”
Gary Hersham continues: “London’s super rich buyer market has continued to be extremely buoyant during the course of the first six months of 2022. We have seen a flurry of deals for London properties priced over £15 million, earlier in the year many buyers were UK based buyers as international flights resume we are seeing the return of wealthy international buyers as this latest Knightsbridge deal in Cadogan Gardens underlines.”
The billionaire Hariri family – of whom Rafic Hariri and son Saad Hariri have both served as Prime Ministers of Lebanon – are one of the wealthiest families in the Middle East. This Knightsbridge property deal by two of the wealthiest families in the Middle East underlines the return of super-wealthy international buyers to London and this year the return of Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Kensington as key places for £10 million plus property deals in Prime Central London.
Jeremy Gee, Managing Director of Beauchamp Estates says: “Since the start of 2022 there have been a wave of deals for Prime London homes priced above £10 million with the lion’s share of deals done in the £15 million to £25 million price bracket. This year, especially as international buyers have started to return to the capital, the top five locations for super-prime deals are Knightsbridge, St John’s Wood, Kensington, Belgravia and Chelsea. The traditional neighbourhoods of the super-rich are once again the locations for the majority of top end deals.”
Jeremy Gee adds: “Prime Central London’s super-prime housing market for multi-millionaire and billionaire buyers doubled in size during 2021, over a two year period there were 49 sales for luxury properties priced over £15 million with 32 sales in 2021 compared to 17 sales in 2020. This is being driven by the huge accumulation of wealth that billionaires have enjoyed over the last two years and the availability of highly advantageous interest-only “billionaire mortgages” which is driving the current “buying spree” of luxury homes in the UK capital.”
Beauchamp Estates highlight that like a rare Picasso painting, this grand house in Cadogan Cardens is set in landscaped gardens and is one of just a handful of surviving full houses in this sought after Knightsbridge address. With interiors by iconic designer Alberto Pinto the house offers an abundance of living space and its grand rooms, tall ceilings and grand Victorian architecture makes it the perfect family home and place for entertaining. Gary Hersham adds: “Just like the Hariri family the new owners will be able to experience the very best of London living.”
Made famous by Rafic Hariri (1944-2005), the legendary Lebanese business tycoon and politician who twice served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon, the Hariri family’s most high profile London residence was the 62,000 sq ft mega-mansion at 2-8a Rutland Gate which the family owned between 1982 to 2005. The family commissioned renowned French interior designer Alberto Pinto to refurbish and interior design the Rutland Gate mansion creating London’s most magnificent private palace/home. After Rafic Hariri’s death in 2005 the family gifted 2-8a Rutland Gate to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the then Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
In 2014 the Hariri family purchased the grand Knightsbridge house in Cadogan Gardens, the corner property has the benefit of overlooking and providing direct access to the large landscaped communal gardens. The house is one of just seven properties in Cadogan Gardens that has remained as a full house, with many of the other original mansion buildings now turned into apartments or duplexes over time.
Located close to Harrods the house in Cadogan Gardens was originally built in 1886-1889 designed in 1885 by renowned Victorian country house architect George Levey (1820-1886) under the auspices of Lord Cadogan. The original owners were the aristocratic Anglo-Irish Plunkett family of Lord Dunsany fame.
Inspired by Penshurst Place, George Levey designed the Cadogan Gardens house with generously large rooms , high ceilings, ornate ceiling mouldings, classical fireplaces and a sweeping main staircase giving the property an air of grandeur and sophistication. Due to its corner position the house is flooded with natural light and the rooms have a bright and airy ambience.
Fast forward to the modern day and the Hariri family commissioned Alberto Pinto to modernise the property and transform it into one of the finest houses in Cadogan Gardens. The Alberto Pinto signature style fuses a classic English country house look with palatial and international features, with no detail left unturned. The result is a unique London residence with magnificent interiors with each room having a unique style and radiating uncompromising luxury.
Located behind an elegant Grade II listed Queen Anne Revival style façade the fully modernised and beautifully designed grand London house has a main staircase and passenger lift to all levels and provides an abundance of luxurious accommodation over lower ground, ground and three upper floors. The ground floor features a spacious entrance hall, dining room, sitting room, study/home office and guest power room. On the first floor is the grand main drawing room, library/reception room and butler’s pantry.
The principal bedroom suite occupiers the entire second floor with three further guest bedrooms on the top floor. The lower ground floor opens onto two outside terraces and contains the family kitchen and breakfast room with utility room, a media/games room, fifth bedroom suite (which could also serve as a staff studio) and guest power room.
