Mansion House is the name of this place for sale in London's Cowley Street. Yet 'house' somehow doesn't quite seem the right word for this extraordinary building in the heart of Westminster.
Yet despite it's sweeping 50' facade, palatial features and location a stone's throw from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, 'house' is exactly what it is – albeit a rather pricey one, given that it's for sale via Savills and Knight Frank at £36 million.
It wasn't always a house, however. The building was designed by Horace Field and completed in 1905, purpose-built as the headquarters of the North Eastern Railway company – a firm which, at the time, had annual revenue equivalent to £1bn in today's money.
Latterly it was used as the London HQ of the Liberal Democrats, but the place was recently sold to a developer who has converted it into a truly palatial residence on one of central London's prettiest streets.
That developer – Faisal Saigol – calls it "an unrivalled palatial home in prime central London" and claims it has the "perfect fusion of grandeur, prestige and contemporary living."
Based on the pictures on this page, it's hard not to agree with that assessment. All the things you'd expect of a grand city house – seven bedrooms, grand dining room that can accommodate 16 people, a lift, a roof terrace and so on – are bolstered by delightful surprises that you would not.
A walk-in wine room, for example, and an Italian garden beyond the pair of terraces. There is even a 10m pool plus jacuzzi, sauna and steam room – as pictured at the top of the page.
The attention to detail in the work carried out on this Grade II-listed building is astonishing. A host of magnificent period features have been retained and immaculately restored by master craftsmen who have worked at some of Britain's greatest buildings.
Take the goldwork on the ceilings and cupola in the main hall, for example: the artisans who worked on it have also carried out work at Windsor Castle, the Royal Academy and the Palace of Westminster.
"There are only a handful of homes across central London which can boast such a grand facade and this scale of accommodation," says Charles Lloyd of Savills.
"The views of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey from the roof terrace remind you that you are just moments away from the city’s seat of power."
Alastair Nicholson of Knight Frank is similarly effusive, calling the work done "exquisite" and praising the "seamless blend of historic detailing and modern amenities on a grand scale."
Mansion House is for sale via Savills and Knight Frank at £36,000,000.
Sir Winston Churchill's house in London goes on the market
This 'very special' home exudes the spirit of old Kensington.
Credit: Grosvenor Square (Pic: Alamy)
Dream homes in London's garden squares: The capital city's miniature rural idylls
Gallows, solicitors...and a Prime Minister: The history of Connaught Square
Connaught Square is well-known for much more than providing Tony Blair with a residence in London
-
Dream of revolution inside the 18th-century villa once occupied by Napoleon's French troopsAn apartment inside historic Villa Gnecchi Ruscone is on the market and it comes with a grand ballroom rumoured to have been frequented by Napoleon.
-
Get ready to get spooky in the Halloween edition of the Country Life Quiz of the Day, October 31, 2025Ghosts, ghouls and ghastly questions lurk in today's quivering quiz.
-
Dream of revolution inside the 18th-century villa once occupied by Napoleon's French troops
An apartment inside historic Villa Gnecchi Ruscone is on the market and it comes with a grand ballroom rumoured to have been frequented by Napoleon.
-
May the force be with you if you move into this London apartment block that Obi-Wan Kenobi (and Cher) once lived inOliver’s Wharf was once the residence of megastar Cher and the actor Sir Alec Guinness — as well as Mark Knopfler of the Dire Straits.
-
125 glorious acres of Elizabethan elegance for sale in Cheshire that comes with a moatIs this real life? Is it just fantasy? No, it's Holford Hall.
-
Look around this James Bond-themed house for sale in Nottinghamshire and release your inner MI6 agentNow, come, come dear reader, you get as much fulfilment out of Skyfall as I do, so why don't you admit it?
-
The eclectic New York townhouse that Lily Allen sings about in her new, headline-making album is for sale381, Union Street is on the market just days after the singer’s latest album details the alleged infidelity in her marriage.
-
This Suffolk home is a perfect escape from the world and it comes with its own stretch of river and 20 acresThis idyllic home in Suffolk is the perfect village home.
-
The quaint Alpine village that got taken over by The BeatlesThe Beatles visited the Austrian resort of Obertauern to film their 1965 film Help!. Despite a distinct lack of prowess on the slopes, the Fab Four got by with a little help from some new-found friends, discovers Russell Higham.
-
The ultimate treehouse escape, where you can have a sauna and hot tub 12 metres above the forest floor, is for sale in DorsetGuy Mallinson's award-winning treehouses in Dorset are a true escape from the world. Anna White takes a look.
