Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley is well-known for her posh accent and genteel ways – and many of these were acquired at the Lucie Clayton Charm Academy, a former finishing school that has been converted into six fittingly swanky flats.
Located just off Gloucester Road in London’s South Kensington, 4 Cornwall Gardens was bought by part-time property developer Mickey Arora in 2004 for £2.5 million. According to PrimeLocation.com, Arora originally intended to transform the 16-bedroom house into a school for underprivileged children, but his application was denied by the council so instead he converted the property into luxury apartments.
The place where Joanna Lumley learned flower-arranging as well as that cut-glass accent now exists as six flats, each occupying its own floor. The entire freehold building is on the market for £17.5 million and the buyer will be able to choose whether to keep the current tenants or terminate their contracts. However, given that the total annual rental yield is £670,800, the former option may well prove the most attractive.
Most of the flats are occupied by wealthy bachelors, hardly surprising given the high-spec nature of the properties: Arora reportedly spent £3 million restoring the building, not only kitting the apartments out with cutting-edge technology and top-of-the-range fittings, but painstakingly restoring all the original period features.
The property is listed with Farleys (020 7589 1234). To find out more, click here.
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