Beechwood House, Highgate
| Beechwood House | |
|---|---|
Beechwood House shown in an Estate Agent's photograph from 1966.
|
|
| General information | |
| Status | Grade II Listed |
| Type | Mansion House |
| Location | Highgate, North London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 51°34′16.16″N 0°9′17.35″W / 51.5711556°N 0.1548194°W |
| Current tenants | Alisher Usmanov |
| Completed | 1840 |
| Owner | Alisher Usmanov |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 3018 m |
| Grounds | 11 Acres |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | George Basevi |
Beechwood House is a Grade II listed large detached house in 11 acres (4.5 hectares) of grounds on Hampstead Lane in Highgate, North West London, N6. It was built in 1840 in the grounds of the former Fitzroy House by the architect and developer George Basevi for his brother Nathaniel, a barrister. It has been owned by several prominent personalities including politicians Lewis McIver and Oswald Lewis, King Khalid of Saudi Arabia, and the Qatari sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. It is owned at present by the Uzbek businessman Alisher Usmanov.
The London: North edition of the Pevsner Architectural Guides describes Beechwood as "An uneventful two-storeyed stucco house, with two canted bays on the garden side, altered and added to". The 2010 edition of The London Encyclopedia described the interior as remodeled in an "early Georgian style" by W. B. Simpson of Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie. The grounds of Beechwood are 11 acres in size, situated in Metropolitan Open Land and contain several other buildings including "extensive garaging" and "guest and staff cottages, a squash court and gatehouses". Beechwood was Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England for its architectural merit in May 1974. In 2008 the main house at Beechwood was described as having a drawing room, two dining rooms, and eight bedroom suites. Other buildings on the estate included a three bedroom guest bungalow, eight room staff quarters and a six-room pool house. The total habitable area of the property came to 3,018.2 square metres (32,488 sq ft)
Beechwood was the home of the Liberal Party politician and financier Lewis McIver. He died at the property in 1920. Following McIver's death Beechwood was advertised for sale by the estate agents Prickett and Ellis in 1921 and described in an advertisement as possessing 13 bed and dressing rooms with three bathrooms and "charming old-world gardens" and that "no expense has been spared to make the place a perfect gentleman's home with every up-to-date convenience". In the early 1920s Kenwood had still not been acquired for the nation, and there were plans to build houses on its estate. The Times wrote in July 1921 that when properties such as Beechwood are put up for sale "... much is made of the fact that they overlook Kenwood" and that "Presumably the scheme for the partial covering of Kenwood will soon be proceeded with, unless more vigorous action is taken in securing it for the public". Beechwood was eventually sold at auction on 30 September 1921 for £16,000.
...
Wikipedia