Margaret Thatcher's former home for sale: we take a look inside
A bomb-proof, steel-lined door is just one of the features of Margaret Thatcher's former Belgravia home, now on the market for £30 million.
Baroness Thatcher lived in Grade II listed house 73 Chester Square 1991 until her death in 2013, and while the house has been comprehensively renovated, several features from her time remain.
Along with the security door, these include the inlaid '73' plaque in the doorstep, which she had installed in 1991, and the original security glass windows facing the square.
Over the last eighteen months, though, the white stucco house has been refurbished and restored, and now boasts a lift, a newly constructed mews house to the rear and a private garage.
"It has been a privilege to work on a property with such significant history," says George Brooksbank, managing director of developer Leconfield.
"We have strived to achieve the perfect balance between traditional and contemporary living by respecting the house's history and restoring many of the original features whilst tastefully incorporating the latest in modern technology. The quality of finish and attention to detail is in a class of its own, and I'm proud of what we have achieved."
Highlighting the political connection, Leconfield chose Hopton stone flooring for the entrance hall - the same as can be seen in the Houses of Parliament.
And the layout and design of the formal dining room and interlinking study on the ground floor have been reinstated exactly they were during Thatcher's time.
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The entire first floor of the property consists of a drawing room and library, with views of Chester Square and soaring 3.5m ceilings. A pair of original Louis XVI fireplaces and parquet flooring, selected to match the house's original floor, have been installed.
The second floor comprises a large double bedroom, dressing area and master bathroom, and there are another five bedrooms in all.
In contrast to the Georgian part of the property, the bespoke kitchen is located in the modern mews house, with a family room above; on top of that is a roof terrace.
Meanwhile, on the lower ground floor of the mews house, there's a media room, bar area, gymnasium and 500-bottle temperature-controlled wine cellar.
"No 73 is certainly one of the finest houses on the Square, and the quality of renovation is outstanding. The property fully embraces its history and Grade II listed status, whilst the level of craftsmanship has enabled the careful creation of a modern yet traditional home that has cleverly reconfigured the journey through the house," says Richard Gutteridge, head of Savills' Sloane Street office, which is handling the sale.
"Such an eminent and rare property, in terms of location, renovation and history, no 73 will have a truly widespread appeal to any buyer at this level of the market looking for an exceptional London home."
