Knight Frank sells Witanhurst to Cooper Group

The second largest house in London after Buckingham Palace and the one-time home of BBC1’s talent show Fame Academy has just been sold by Knight Frank to the Cooper Group, the St John’s Wood based private property investment and development business owned by Marcus Cooper.

Witanhurst in Highgate, a Grade II listed Queen Anne style mansion set in 5 acres at the top of the London basin is a truly imposing property dating from approximately 1913.

Marcus Cooper said: “Our aim is to restore and develop Witanhurst beyond its former glory, to create a 40,000 sq ft private residence of exceptionally high quality that will become London’s first £150m home.”

Grant Alexson, Partner, Knight Frank comments: "Potentially the finest house in London, we are delighted to have sold Witanhurst. The house has been on the market through Knight Frank for approximately 2 years. We received numerous bids over this period but the owner was a reluctant seller so it has taken this amount of time for them to decide to sell."

The acquisition follows the Cooper Group's purchase of the former British Land headquarters at Cornwall Terrace, a Grade I Listed Nash terrace overlooking Regent's Park, for conversion into a £300m luxury residential development. Recent purchases by the Cooper Group also include 27-35 Poultry, London EC2 for £72m for conversion into a six-star landmark hotel and Marco Polo House, Battersea, SW8 for £63m for future mixed-use redevelopment.