A classically beautiful Hampstead property that has been given a full interiors makeover is up for grabs for £19.95million.
The historic property once belonged to the plastic surgeon Sir Harold Gillies and includes an abundance of period features, including fireplaces and cornices.
The impressive 11-bedroom London home is being sold via Goldschmidt estate agents.
This impressive 11-bedroom Hampstead home is for sale with a price tag of £19.95million
The historic property once belonged to Sir Harold Gillies, considered the father of modern plastic surgeon
The property dates back to the early 1800s and has an English Heritage blue plaque on the exterior commentating its former owner.
Sir Harold lived at 71 Frognal from 1923, with bombing in the war driving him out 20 years later.
Sir Harold was born in 1882 and died in 1960. He is widely considered to be the father of modern plastic surgery.
He is known for his ground-breaking procedures using grafted flaps of skin to help treat facial wounds, many of which were a result of the outbreak of war.
The property is an unusual corner house on a site bounded by Redington Road and Oak Hill Park
The London home has been fully renovated while retaining many period features, including cornices
Period features can be seen throughout the property, including large fireplaces and decorative doorways
The renovated dining room includes a round glass table sitting beneath a glass chandelier
This light-coloured living room leads to a contrasting cocktail bar that is painted black
The property is an unusual corner house on a site bounded by Redington Road and Oak Hill Park.
As well as the main house, there is a separate guest cottage and a separate studio flat, with the property extending across 6,071 square feet in total.
The house has been totally refurbished and has a modern interior design that has, at the same time, incorporated its many original features.
As well as a gym, cocktail bar and gym, it boasts under floor heating, CCTV and a high tech alarm system along with electric gates and an entry phone system.
The property boasts a landscaped garden with several seating areas and a swimming pool
The kitchen has white wall and base cabinets, with a glass door leading to the space outdoors
The property has some wall art and photos, including references to the world of horse racing
There are 11 bedrooms at the property, including this large suite with a seating area and ensuite bathroom
The property is only 0.2 miles from Hampstead Underground station and 0.4 miles from Finchley Road & Frognal railway station.
It is also a similar distance from several schools, including University College School.
North London estate agent Jeremy Leaf said: ‘Not all blue plaques are equal – some are considered more ‘valuable’ than others because the person who lived there was particularly famous, notorious or iconic, and that may add considerable value to the property, while increasing saleability.
‘If you are considering buying a house with a blue plaque, try to disassociate it from the plaque. How much are you paying for the property and does the blue plaque add a justifiable premium? When you come to sell it on, will other potential buyers appreciate its value in the same way?
‘In this instance, the house looks pretty amazing on its own merits, even without the blue plaque.’
The property is beautifully interior designed and situated – being only 0.2 miles from Hampstead Underground station and 0.4 miles from Finchley Road & Frognal railway station
Sir Harold Gillies’ work on injuries
Sir Harold Gillies was a plastic surgeon
The following is an extract from the book Live in London, Blue Plaques and the stories behind them, which is by English Heritage and edited by Emily Cole:
Born and raised in New Zealand, Gillies trained as a surgeon, and put his skills to work in seeking to make good the hideous damage done to soldiers’ faces during the First World War.
In doing so, he made considerable advances in the techniques of plastic surgery, which resulted in his 1920 work Plastic Surgery of the Face.
‘This was a strange new art’, he wrote, ‘and unlike the student of today, who is weaned on small scar excisions and gradually graduated to a single hare-lip, we were suddenly asked to produce half a face’.
Two thousand casualties arrived at his ward in the military hospital at Aldershot with face and jaw wounds after the Battle of the Somme alone.
This experience was to be called upon again: with the outbreak of the Second World War, Gillies was responsible for setting up a network of plastic surgery units across the country, where his groundbreaking techniques could be deployed in the reconstruction of smashed faces.
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The average price of a property sold in Hampstead during the past 12 months is £1,813,975.
It compares to £337,917 for the country as a whole, according to property website Zoopla.
Daniel Copley, of Zoopla, said: ‘Located in one of London’s most enviable postcodes, this lavish property benefits from a spacious interior and luxurious features including a heated outdoor swimming pool, underfloor heating and a gym.
‘The property also has a fascinating history and was owned for many years by Sir Harold Gillies – known as the father of modern plastic surgery.’
