Property of the Week: The former Johnson family home has been done up and is now on the market for £11.25m
Looking for a home that’s fit for a foreign secretary?
This five storey Victorian townhouse on Regent’s Park Road was the childhood home of Boris, Rachel and a whole host of Johnsons, including jungle-botherer and father of the thatched brood, Stanley.
60 Regent's Park Road, Primrose Hill, £11.25m
Legend has it that he lived in the exclusive neighbourhood anyway, but a wooden rocking horse sitting in the ground floor bay window caught his eye. Convinced it was the perfect home for his growing family, he marched up to the front door and made the owner an offer they couldn’t refuse.
He even carried on the rocking horse tradition, replacing it with a hand-crafted one called Tarquin, and the property became known locally as the “rocking horse house”.
Young Boris and Rachel went to Primrose Hill Primary School nearby before Stanley’s job with the European Commission whisked the family away to Brussels, and the house even served as Boris’ campaign headquarters during his time as Mayor of London. It was also home to Luke Heller, the screenwriter of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, during the 1960s.
He even carried on the rocking horse tradition, replacing it with a hand-crafted one called Tarquin
Dating back to when Regent’s Park Road was built in the 1820s, the five storey house retains much of its period character, with feature stone copings, pillared entrance portico and, of course, its bay windows.
Following its most recent sale in 2010, the house has been completely refurbished, increasing in size to 5,226sqft. “The rocking horse lives on, having been etched into the specially commissioned front bay window from which there are views directly over Primrose Hill Park,” says Orly Lehmann, partner and head of Knight Frank’s Belzise Park office.
Other highlights include a cinema room complete with disco balls and bespoke artwork, a plant room, private wine cellar, a 12-seater dining table with chandelier, and a private study where Stanley wrote four books.
Call Aston Chase on 020 7724 4724 or visit astonchase.com