We have had churches, we have had water towers, we have had windmills, banks and warehouses. What we have not had, until now, is Cold War testing sites that are now family homes.
There is a first-time for everything and it is somewhat exciting to be able to (hopefully) entertain you, the reader, about Rotunda in Bushy Park, London. It is for sale with Savills for £7.5 million and is, as the name suggests, quite round.
In fact, you are probably looking at Rotunda and thinking that it looks a bit like the BBC Television Centre in west London. You would be right to think that because it was converted by the same architects, Norman & Dawbarn. Famous for their brutalist modern architecture, they have done some of their best work turning Rotunda into a six-bedroom, six-bathroom, family home.
r best work turning Rotunda into a six-bedroom, six-bathroom, family home.
The Rotunda is surely a Bond villain's lair in the making. In a good way, of course.
So what were the navy (for it was the navy) testing at Rotunda before it became a house? The answer appears to be torpedoes, of which the Royal Navy has some of the best, so clearly there was some decent work going on there.
Much of that history was demolished when the house was converted, but remnants remain, such as the two subterranean levels of the home, which so far remain undeveloped but provide ample opportunity for use as a swimming pool, gym complex, basketball court, and so on.
The rest of the home has been developed, as discussed, and is set over two floors. The ground floor is mostly an open entertaining space, comprising a vast kitchen/breakfast/dining/living room area which stretches to most of the length of the building. There is a separate study, playroom and conservatory. The interiors feature a host of modernist touches, from floating beds to sunken baths and beyond.
Upstairs, you will find six bedrooms and six bathrooms, including the master suite, which also features a small terrace with views over the 1.3 acres of gardens. In total, the property offers more than 10,000sq ft of living space.
And where is that living space? In the middle of Bushy Park, one of south-west London’s finest green spaces. Just a few hundred yards separate the property and the ‘villages’ of Hampton Hill and Teddington, which provide ample amenities.
No doubt in its former life, the activities occurring at the Rotunda were top secret. Well the secret is now out.
Rotunda is for sale with Savills for £7.5 million. For more information and pictures, click here.
-
Model Kate Moss’s former London home in leafy St John’s Wood is up for saleKate Moss’s former London home has only had one owner since she sold it in 2012 and moved to the Cotswolds.
-
School's out for summer: Country Life's Quiz of the Day, July 17, 2025Today's Quiz of the Day takes a summery turn.
-
Model Kate Moss’s former London home in leafy St John’s Wood is up for sale
Kate Moss’s former London home has only had one owner since she sold it in 2012 and moved to the Cotswolds.
-
A dozen fine homes across Britain, from Cornish cottages to a vast Highland estate, as seen in Country LifeOur look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life includes a gorgeous south coast home.
-
A three-bedroom bungalow that's escaped from the 1970s... and it might be the most beautiful beachside home we've seenShipstal Point is for sale for the first time in its history — and it's the sort of place that can't help but put a smile on your face.
-
A country house that's 'the finest-looking estate between the Humber and the Tweed' (at least according to Queen Victoria)Burn Hall is a treasure-trove of architectural features, from its sweeping staircase to its grand snooker room.
-
Six beautiful homes around the world, from Portofino to Provence to Palm BeachAn exquisite villa tucked into a hillside? A A breathtaking apartment created to make you feel like you're flying through the endless blue skies?
-
An idyllic home where the forest meets the sea, for sale for the first time in over half a centuryLittle Aston is a graceful, charming home with superb gardens and its own orchard, as well as some of the south coast's most beautiful areas right on its doorstep. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
'Just look at those stairs. Just as an art form, they are bewitching, like the shell of a nautilus': The lure of buying a stairway to heavenIt seems like madness to buy a house purely because you fall in love with the staircase — but sometimes, they are simply so beautiful that it's impossible to resist. Toby Keel takes a look at some glorious examples of staircases we've seen in Country Life in the last couple of years.
-
Snap it up! This Martha's Vineyard estate with two private beaches is for sale on the same island where the iconic 'Jaws' film was madeBeach Farm on Martha’s Vineyard — described as 'one-of-a-kind' — is a perfect melding of New England and Scandinavian design styles.
