Friday 11 December 2015 1:07 pm

Property of the Fortnight: Inside former England defender Sol Campbell’s £6.5m Chelsea penthouse

No one knows how to flash their cash like Premier League footballers. From Mario Balotelli’s camouflage Bentley to Steven Ireland’s £100,000 aquarium (complete with a coral reef imported from Fiji), they’re pretty big spenders, if not exactly renowned for their good taste.

But when estate agents Strutt & Parker revealed former England defender Sol Campbell’s home had gone on the market, it turned out to be an exceptionally refined offering.

This four bedroom penthouse apartment sits on top of one of the most prestigious period mansion blocks in Chelsea.

The living room with stunning views over the city

In fact, Carlyle Mansions is known locally as “the writer’s block” with a number of authors having called it home over the years, including Henry James, TS Eliot and James Bond creator Ian Fleming. The street it sits on, Cheyne Walk, is also one of the most popular in SW3, as it backs on to the Chelsea Embankment and Albert Bridge Gardens while being less than a 10 minute walk away from the Kings Road. Inside, there’s a spacious reception hall, a study, utility room and two bathrooms in addition to the bedrooms, all spread over £2,300sqft.

Period features such as Victorian mouldings and a working gas log fireplace are still intact, but Campbell’s interior designer wife Fiona Barrett has added stylish contemporary touches throughout, designing and building bespoke joinery and vanity and kitchen units. Luxurious flourishes include underfloor heating, oak flooring and an iPad-controlled music system throughout.

The stylish master bedroom

But such a refurbished gem doesn’t come cheap. In addition to the £6.495m asking price, buyers would be expected to pay an annual service charge that’s nearly £11,000 for the upkeep of the building, security and a residents’ porter.

The competition is set to be fierce for this premiership property but with the rate high-end penthouses like this are selling in the capital it won’t be long before someone strikes it lucky.