Inside the lavish £3.9m apartments at Regent’s Park’s refurbished Park Crescent
It's not often you get a chance to own a slice of London's architectural history. But with refurbishment on one of the capital's most iconic addresses complete, apartments have gone on sale – and you can buy one, for a cool £3.9m.
Park Crescent, overlooking Regent's Park, was designed by architect John Nash (of Buckingham Palace and Regent Street fame) in the early part of the 1800s.
The crescent was home to Charles Francis Adams, US ambassador to the UK during Abraham Lincoln's presidency, between 1878 and 1908. And although it was partially destroyed during the Blitz, it was restored in the 1960s – but many of the properties became offices in the late 20th century.
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Now the crescent has been converted by Amazon Property into 20 two-to-four bedroom "ultra-prime" homes, starting at £3.95m. The apartments, which range from 1,429 sq ft to 4,127 sq ft, include access to eight acres of private gardens.
Charles Gourgey, director of Amazon Property, said the "absolute rarity combined with the exacting quality" of the homes sets the development apart.
Despite that, though, estate agents have warned prices at the top end of the London market have fallen in recent months: last month Knight Frank said prices in prime central London fell 1.5 per cent year-on-year in July.
In fact, evidence suggests those at the top end of the market may soon be looking for rental properties, rather than homes to buy. Figures published last week by Knight Frank showed the number of new rental properties at the top end of the market increased almost 40 per cent in the three months to July.