FORMER SECRET MILITARY TESTING SITE IN BUSHY PARK FOR SALE AS A LUXURY JAMES BOND-STYLE HOME FOR £7.5M
An extraordinary historic site which played a vital role as a military testing site in the Cold War in the heart of Bushy Park is now up for sale as a family home for £7.5million.
Rotunda, near Hampton Hill, is a former testing site for the top-secret Admiralty Research Laboratory from the Cold War which now offers and contemporary James Bond-style accommodation in a private secluded setting behind giant electronic gates.
Built by the Admiralty, Rotunda was originally a 46 metre, circular water tank. The house is built around a sunken courtyard where British scientist and weapons tested torpedoes and underwater missiles from the 1950’s to 1993 under a dome-shaped copper roof in fear of spy activity.
After the Cold War, the renowned architectural firm Norman & Dawbarn was commissioned to transform the property into a bright and airy family home.
Norman & Dawbarn are famous for their modern architecture and well known for their design of the BBC Television Centre in White City. In the design of Rotunda they referenced this commission and touched on certain elements, giving Rotunda a unique style unlike anything else you will find in the market.
In keeping with the property’s heritage, the architects installed a copper roof as part of their design, while glass and aluminium has been used extensively to create significant sweeping spaces and an incredible flow of natural light.
There are several reception rooms which include a principle reception space of over 120ft and also a large area at lower ground floor level which has scope to house a swimming pool (certificate of lawful use or development in place) / spa area and gym. In addition, the substantial grounds hold the potential for the installation of a tennis court.
As well as ample storage, there are six bedrooms and six bathrooms and the house enjoys a very open and verdant aspect over their own garden which exceeds an acre, as well as the Royal Park. The property covers 10000 sq feet and has 1.3 acres of ground as well as 1.100 acres of Bushy Park outside.
“This is a truly breath-taking property, you feel like you’re on the set of a James Bond film and yet it is a practical family home. Superb!” said Savills property agent Daniel Killick.
“Standing in the centre of the rotunda “feels incredibly safe,” said Killick. “It’s peculiar because on one hand you feel very connected to the outside, but you also feel like you’re in your own world, because you are enclosed.”
The sellers, who declined to comment through the brokerage, have lived in the property as their primary home since 2011, according to Killick. It listed on the market last month.
Local information:
- The house is in the heart of Royal Bushy Park, with its stunning and extensive deer inhabited acres. Located near Hampton Court Palace, Bushy Park’s mixture of woods, gardens, ponds and grassland makes it a fantastic place to enjoy wildlife. The park is also home to the famous Chestnut Avenue, a formal Baroque water garden and the beautiful Diana Fountain.
- It is within a few hundred yards of Hampton Hill and Teddington, with their shops and charming village atmospheres. Hampton and Teddington mainline stations are nearby and provide a direct link to London Waterloo.
- There are also a number of highly acclaimed schools nearby including Newland House, Radnor House, Waldegrave Girls, St Catherine’s, The Mall, Teddington School, Hampton Boys and Lady Eleanor Holles school for girls.
- There is easy access to the M3 at nearby Sunbury which, in turn, leads to the M25. This makes for convenient access to both Heathrow and Gatwick Airports.
COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE REVIEW
There is a first-time for everything and it is somewhat exciting to be able to (hopefully) entertain you, the reader, about Rotunda in Bushy Park, London. It is for sale with Savills for £7.5 million and is, as the name suggests, quite round.
In fact, you are probably looking at Rotunda and thinking that it looks a bit like the BBC Television Centre in west London. You would be right to think that because it was converted by the same architects, Norman & Dawbarn. Famous for their brutalist modern architecture, they have done some of their best work turning Rotunda into a six-bedroom, six-bathroom, family home.
So what were the navy (for it was the navy) testing at Rotunda before it became a house? The answer appears to be torpedoes, of which the Royal Navy has some of the best, so clearly there was some decent work going on there.
Much of that history was demolished when the house was converted, but remnants remain, such as the two subterranean levels of the home, which so far remain undeveloped but provide ample opportunity for use as a swimming pool, gym complex, basketball court, and so on.
The rest of the home has been developed, as discussed, and is set over two floors. The ground floor is mostly an open entertaining space, comprising a vast kitchen/breakfast/dining/living room area which stretches to most of the length of the building. There is a separate study, playroom and conservatory. The interiors feature a host of modernist touches, from floating beds to sunken baths and beyond.
Upstairs, you will find six bedrooms and six bathrooms, including the master suite, which also features a small terrace with views over the 1.3 acres of gardens. In total, the property offers more than 10,000sq ft of living space.
No doubt in its former life, the activities occurring at the Rotunda were top secret. Well the secret is now out.
Rotunda is for sale with Savills for £7.5 million. For more information and pictures, click here.
