John Caudwell, founder of Phones4u, has sold the Knightsbridge property Fonteyn House for £55 million after only four weeks on the market. The Art Deco mansion, formerly the Panamanian Embassy, was famously the home of prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn and hosted icons like Rudolf Nureyev and Princess Margaret. The 16,000 sq ft home features a pool, cinema, and spa. This sale is the latest in a series of high-profile property moves by the billionaire, who is also developing the £2 billion 1 Mayfair project and owns a Grade I-listed manor and a £80 million superyacht.
The billionaire founder of Phones4u has sold his London mansion that was once home to prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn for £55 million. John Caudwell , 73, sold the Art Deco-inspired property, known as Fonteyn House , after just four weeks on the market.
The Knightsbridge home had a rich history before Caudwell's ownership, having served as the Panamanian Embassy. It became the residence of Dame Margot Fonteyn after she married Roberto Arias, who was Panama's ambassador to the UK. The house famously hosted a glittering array of cultural icons, including Princess Margaret, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, and Fonteyn's legendary dance partner Rudolf Nureyev.
After defecting from the Soviet Union in 1961, Nureyev stayed at the house while negotiating his contract with the Royal Ballet. Fonteyn and Nureyev used the second-floor bedroom suite, now a guest room, as their private dance studio. Caudwell purchased the property in 2010 and undertook a significant reconstruction, transforming it into a sprawling 16,000 square foot mansion.
The home, which overlooks the Victoria and Albert Museum, now boasts luxurious amenities including a 12-metre swimming pool, a private cinema, a comprehensive spa with a hot tub and ice fountain, a dedicated cocktail bar, and a fully equipped gym. This recent sale is part of a broader trend of high-value property transactions involving the entrepreneur. Mr. Caudwell, whose net worth is estimated between £1.5 billion and £2.8 billion, also recently sold another property in Mayfair.
That property, historically a coach house for the head groom of the aristocratic Capel family, was marketed at £20 million; its final sale price remains undisclosed. Beyond selling, Caudwell is also involved in major new developments. He is spearheading the £2 billion 1 Mayfair project, which will feature 29 residences, including three penthouses priced at £200 million each.
The development promises ultra-luxury amenities, including a 1,000-book library curated in partnership with the 81-year-old Duke of Devonshire, Peregrine Cavendish, who owns the prestigious Heywood Hill bookshop favored by the late Queen. The development will also include a health spa and a 20-metre swimming pool, positioning it as one of the UK's most decadent new addresses.
However, Caudwell's primary residence is not in London but at Broughton Hall, a Grade I-listed manor house in Staffordshire dating back to the 1600s, which he considers his 'spiritual home' after purchasing it in the 1990s. He has also detailed his ownership of the £80 million superyacht Titania.
Named after the Queen of the Fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the 73-metre vessel is one of the world's most elite yachts, featuring personalized spas, five en-suite state rooms, and a Michelin-starred chef. While Caudwell owns the yacht, he visits only once or twice a year, as it is typically chartered to other wealthy individuals for up to £600,000 per week. The yacht was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary last December.
Caudwell has also spoken about the history of Broughton Hall, claiming its Long Gallery is haunted by the ghost of a boy shot by Oliver Cromwell's soldiers during the English Civil War. Before Caudwell's ownership, the hall was occupied by elderly nuns who used one of the rooms as a chapel
John Caudwell Phones4u Margot Fonteyn Fonteyn House Knightsbridge Property Sale Luxury Home Superyacht Broughton Hall 1 Mayfair Development
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