Friday, November 29, 2013

Annie Lennox Lists in London

SELLER: Annie Lennox
LOCATION: London, UK
PRICE: £12,000,000
SIZE: 5,131 square feet, 4-5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: We have Our Man in London to thank for sniffing out the open market listing for a Grade II listed terrace house just a few short blocks off Portobello Road in London's Notting Hill nabe that's up for sale with an £12,000,000 price tag and owned by pixie-haired synth-pop/New Wave music pioneer and legend Annie Lennox. (Your Mama's rusty but trusty currency conversion contraption shows that the current guide price—that's U.K. real estate speak for listing price—of £12,000,000 equals $19,581,4000 at today's rates.)

Scotland-born Miz Lennox, for those of y'all who weren't around in the early 1980s, was one-half of the duo Eurythmics. In the 1990s Miz Lennox lit out on a successful solo career and, as best as we can tell from our research on the internets, she's got seven BRIT Awards, three Grammys, and both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for a pop ditty (Into The West) that she co-wrote for The Lord of the Rings. She's also got scads of awards, titles, recognitions for her extensive charity work and international humanitarian efforts.

That Miz Lennox might want to sell her swank house in London isn't such a great surprise since newly wedded rich and/or famous folk often buy a new house to set up home and, in case you missed the gossip glossy reports, 58-year old Miz Lennox recently hitched her love wagon for the third time to Harvard-trained, notably philanthropic, and South Africa-based gynecologist Dr. Mitch Besser.

As far as we can tell, Miz Lennox paid £4.4 million—that's $7,179,830 at today's rates—for the five-floor, Regency terrace house that listing details show was designed by architect and topographical illustrator Thomas Allom and built in 1853.

Online marketing materials (that include a color-coded floor plan) show the double-fronted white stucco residence has 4-5 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in 5,131 square feet of interior space that marries original architectural details such as heavy-duty moldings with thoroughly modern fittings and trimmings such as radiant heated floors throughout, a home automation system that controls lighting and a/v equipment, and a camera-equipped security system.

The raised ground floor has impressively high ceilings, espresso-toned wide plank wood floors and elaborate ceiling moldings and window trims. The T-shaped foyer and stair hall open to an unusually spacious powder room, a roomy open-concept center island kitchen/family room, and a separate formal dining room with fireplace, bay window and a fab oval-shaped Eero Saarinen tulip table and chairs with multi-colored cushions.

The lower ground floor—that's U.K.-speak for a basement—comprises a wee bedroom for staff or guests, a closet-lined gym, and a small office. There's also a laundry room, kitchenette and tiny three-quarter bathroom. At least two of the rooms open to sub-street level patios, the larger of which provides convenient exterior access to a quartet of storage vaults under the sidewalk.

The first floor—that's the second floor for all us Americanos—has a trio public rooms: sun room with fancy tile floor, a snug/library with marble-manteled fireplace and a baby grand piano, and a roomy drawing room fireplace and with three sets of transom-topped French doors that open to a slender, wrought iron-railed wrap around balcony.

The master suite occupies the entire second floor with super-sized sitting room, cozy bedroom, and, in between, a commodious bathroom with frosted glass windows for privacy, a sitting area, steam-equipped shower stall, and a sleek, two-person soaking tub set right in the middle of the room. Two more generous, if somewhat oddly shaped bedrooms on the uppermost level share a hall bathroom with double sinks, bathtub and separate shower.

Although private outdoor space is somewhat limited to a couple of small balconies and a not particularly private subterranean wrap around patio on the lower ground floor, Miz Lennox's London' digs offers direct access to the communal (yet private) Stanley Gardens South as well as access to the also communal (and also private) gardens of Ladbroke Square.

Your Mama confesses we're not aware of Miz Lennox owning any other property but we'd be somewhat surprised to learn she didn't and we assume without any intel whatsoever to base our supposition that she and her third new Mister—Dr. Besser—maintain a luxury residence in Cape Town (South Africa).

listing photo and floor plan: Pereds

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Use Americanos"!???!?! Mama, when did you stop proof reading?!?!!??!!?!?? Also, if you delete this comment, I'll know you read it......................

Anonymous said...

If someone doesn't know who Annie is, they have no business even reading this blog!

Anonymous said...

@1:38- Really?!!!! Really?!?!!! You're THAT upset about "use" instead of "us"? Really???!!? Switch to decaf and enjoy a super entertaining blog, OK?!??!!!

Anonymous said...

@1:38 - Meh ... better than a misplaced apostrophe, in my view.

The Beckhams should have bought this manse instead of the one they did purchase, which doesn't look nearly as nice.

I love the way this stands out on its own - it's very nice! :-)

Anonymous said...

This home seems to invite the type of tomfoolery Mama warns the readers not to partake in, on the mission statement. "DO not go knocking on any of the damn doors..." Love the house and location, but would feel exposed and vulnerable. Definitely not a place to be traipsing around in cold cream and curlers, if your trying to avoid the photogs.

Anonymous said...

The location of this home is VERY interesting

Anonymous said...

12:30
Here's some 'knocking on doors' bigshot!!! I know all about this house because IT WAS MINE. It is in HOBOKEN, NJ across the street from bastard wife thief Gino the Barber. My slut wife and scissor hands swindled this and my right testicle in the divorce. It is not in London neither. Some goon monkeyed with the photograph. I will sue Naomi up the ying yang. She can't sell this until little Vito turns 18 and I get half. Who is this Annie chick? Is she single?

Signed,
Big Vito

Anonymous said...

There is so much to admire in Ms. Lennox and Dr. Besser for their midos, tzedakah, u'mentschlekeit (character, charity, and humanitarianism). May they each find their beshert (soulmate) in one another!

The Lennox home, rather than a bona fide terrace end unit, appears to stand alone. The primary storey has feng shui-friendly circular flow, yet similar to many New York parlor floors lacks a powder room. The furniture and art are highly personal; however, the Rabbi would jettison still another animal hide along with the bathroom settee. Ultimately, this Regency-style home is simultaneously quirky and lovely.

Mazel tov and a lifetime of happiness to kallah Annie v'chossen Mitch (bride and groom)!

Rabbi Hedda LaCasa

Anonymous said...

I don't know who she is.

Sandpiper said...

This feels akin to one of my favorite places, Chicago's old water tower, so I like it a lot. LGB/LB, thoughts on the top story. Addition?

PSA, #5:
It seems this owner is an equal opportunity fur and feathers fan -- in her house and as a walking fashion billboard for her unfortunate long-time staples, ocelot and...

Mama, thank you again for the free ad space. xoxo

Anonymous said...

The Rabbi initially speculated the third storey above the dentils and cornice could be an addition; however, the terrace across the street features a similar unifying design. LGB? Kinderlach?

Hedda

Anonymous said...

I snagged the floor plans for Tamara Eccelstone's new house in Kensington Palace Gardens, you want them Mama??

Sandpiper said...

I can always rely on you to chime in on my humble little thoughts and observations. Coco Chanel said it best, "[it] is the highest form of flattery."

Sandpiper said...


I forgot say I was writing my 11:31 comment to dear Rabbi Hedda.

lil' gay boy said...

My take too (originally) was that the top story was a somewhat sympathetic addition; however, looking at the aerial view, it becomes obvious that the top story is most likely original to the design (and the continuation of the interior main staircase seems to reinforce that opinion).

Such a lovely neighborhood that real has no parallel in the US; we may be planned communities, or places like Gramercy Park that share a green space, but not with the provenance & cachet of Kensington.

Simply lovely.

lil' gay boy said...

"...really has no parallel in the US; we may have...

Still recovering from an overdose of ill-read relatives...

Sandpiper said...

Little buddy,

Sorry about the relatives. Did you try conversing in stick figure drawings or play charades?

Mine just get a glazed-over look in their eyes and fall asleep. Can't complain. lol.

Always thought you bailed to M's on weekends.

lil' gay boy said...

Actually, we played Pictionary -- (stick figures and charades); hand to God, one of my sister-in-law's nephews was my partner & we had the word "dictionary" -- you know what I drew; he turned beet red, but we won...

;-)

BGD was volunteering with the Veterans in NYC on Thursday & we did the weekend ourselves.

Sandpiper said...


Oh God that's funny. xoxo

I blow at pictionary, but had "yodel" once. My turn to draw. Partner got it on first try. I felt like John Goodman bowling a strike!

Anonymous said...

I like it, very nice looking place. I would never pay those prices. I am not an idiot, or a Saudi, Chinese or Russian.

Tower Grove = GHETTO said...

Who is this chick?

siya said...

so beautiful pictures....thanks for sharing..

Anonymous said...

H'Troll time to pack all the marbles back into your head and go ni ni.

Anonymous said...

All the bricked in windows are distracting. Why fill in the window of a sunroom?

Unknown said...

i love the book stacks.......i'll just take this book from the bottom......

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

Annie does own a second home in Majorca, Spain.