A London mansion featuring a basement workshop accessed via a hidden staircase and retracting floorboards has come to market for £29.95 million (A$53.3 million).
Tech entrepreneur Sergey Frolovichev, who was involved in the expansion of dating apps Bumble and Badoo alongside Andrey Andreev, is selling the Hampstead property through Draper London.
The seven-bedroom house on Greenaway Gardens spans approximately 14,500 square feet and includes a basement-level design studio that Sergey modelled on his favourite film, The Dark Knight.
The space is accessed through a concealed entrance from the games room, with display cabinets lining the corridor and ceiling lighting, both taking design cues from the 2008 Batman film.
The property is being sold on a shell-and-core basis, meaning the structure and infrastructure are in place but internal fit-out remains incomplete.
Buyers will need to budget an additional £5 million to £7 million (A$8.9 million to A$12.5 million) over 12 to 18 months to finish the interiors. Once completed, the mansion could be worth up to £40 million (A$71.2 million), Draper London suggests.
The original house dates to around 1934 and was designed by architect Charles Henry Bourne Quennell in a neo-Georgian style. Architectural practice SHH obtained planning consent to enlarge and remodel the building, working with Sergey on the design.
Infrastructure already installed includes ground source heating, underfloor heating throughout, fresh air ventilation to all rooms, and integrated cabling for home entertainment and security systems.
The layout includes a triple-height entrance hall with a cantilevered staircase and rooflight 12.5 metres above.
The lower ground floor houses a health spa with swimming pool, gym, steam room and sauna, along with the media room and games room.
A principal bedroom suite on the first floor spans the full width of the building and includes two roof terraces, two dressing rooms and two bathrooms. There are six additional bedroom suites across the upper floors.
External space includes nearly 8,000 square feet of terracing and a south-west facing garden and plans include a sunken fire pit with built-in seating at the rear of the garden.
The holding company for Bumble and Badoo was sold to Blackstone in 2019 in a deal valuing the business at $3 billion (A$4.2 billion).
“This sale offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create one of the finest new residences in Hampstead,” said Craig Draper, founder of Draper London.
The full listing can be viewed at draperlondon.com.