A Former WWII M16 Spy Post Re-Emerges As A Ultra-Modern Mansion
The newly developed six-bedroom home in North London has hit the market.
2 min
A pocket of leafy suburban London that once held a secret, wartime intelligence base with bullet-proof doors and windows, and wireless transmitters on the roof, is now a newly built luxury home.
Set in the village of Arkley in North London, Rowley Ridge, as it’s known, spans 1020 square metres and hit the market in April for £8.5 million (A$15.4 million) with estate agency Beauchamp Estates.
During World War II, the site of Rowley Ridge—then an Edwardian villa—was selected by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as one of a handful of detached country houses to be a clandestine listening post base used by M16 to spy on German signals, intercept illicit wireless messages and support the code-breaking taking place at the famed Bletchley Park, according to a news release from the brokerage.
Set 134-metres above sea level, Arkley was chosen by Churchill for its advantageous altitude—conductive for capturing radio transmissions.
“As a local resident I am naturally biased, but I truly believe that Arkley is a true leafy oasis,” Jeremy Gee, managing director of Beauchamp Estates said in the release.
It’s “one of London’s most exclusive enclaves, bordered by both greenbelt countryside and the private golf course, yet only nine miles from London’s West End,” he said. Arkley’s hidden role as a World War II M16 base adds the excitement and glamour of the secret services, spies and gadgets.”
Now the six-bedroom family-home, developed by Domvs London—is loaded with very different amenities than it would have housed some 80 years ago.
There’s a three-story atrium, a main reception room with a lounge area, drawing room area and dining area, a custom-designed kitchen, a main bedroom suite with a private balcony and views across the nearby private golf course, according to the release.
On the basement level is a soundproof cinema room with a cocktail bar, a game room, a swimming pool, a steam room and a gym. There’s also a panic room and a biometric entry system.
Copyright 2020, Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. LEARN MORE
Consumers are going to gravitate toward applications powered by the buzzy new technology, analyst Michael Wolf predicts
Chris Dixon, a partner who led the charge, says he has a ‘very long-term horizon’
Ray White’s chief economist outlines her predictions for housing market trends in 2024
2 min
Ray White’s chief economist, Nerida Conisbee says property price growth will continue next year and mortgage holders will need to “survive until 2025” amid expectations of higher interest rates for longer.
Ms Conisbee said strong population growth and a housing supply shortage combatted the impact of rising interest rates in 2023, leading to unusually strong price growth during a rate hiking cycle. The latest CoreLogic data shows home values have increased by more than 10 percent in the year to date in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Among the regional markets, price growth has been strongest in regional South Australia with 8.6 percent growth and regional Queensland at 6.9 percent growth.
“As interest rates head close to peak, it is expected that price growth will continue. At this point, housing supply remains extremely low and many people that would be new home buyers are being pushed into the established market,” Ms Conisbee said. “Big jumps in rents are pushing more first home buyers into the market and population growth is continuing to be strong.”
Ms Conisbee said interest rates will be higher for longer due to sticky inflation. “… we are unlikely to see a rate cut until late 2024 or early 2025. This means mortgage holders need to survive until 2025, paying far more on their home loans than they did two years ago.”
Buyers in coastal areas currently have a window of opportunity to take advantage of softer prices, Ms Conisbee said. “Look out for beach house bargains over summer but you need to move quick. In many beachside holiday destinations, we saw a sharp rise in properties for sale and a corresponding fall in prices. This was driven by many pandemic driven holiday home purchases coming back on to the market.”
3 key housing market trends for 2024
Here are three of Ms Conisbee’s predictions for the key housing market trends of 2024.
Luxury apartment market to soar
Ms Conisbee said the types of apartments being built have changed dramatically amid more people choosing to live in apartments longer-term and Australia’s ageing population downsizing. “Demand is increasing for much larger, higher quality, more expensive developments. This has resulted in the most expensive apartments in Australia seeing price increases more than double those of an average priced apartment. This year, fewer apartments being built, growing population and a desire to live in some of Australia’s most sought-after inner urban areas will lead to a boom in luxury apartment demand.”
Homes to become even greener
The rising costs of energy and the health impacts of heat are two new factors driving interest in green homes, Ms Conisbee said. “Having a greener home utilising solar and batteries makes it cheaper to run air conditioning, heaters and pool pumps. We are heading into a particularly hot summer and having homes that are difficult to cool down makes them far more dangerous for the elderly and very young.”
More people living alone
For some time now, long-term social changes such as delayed marriage and an ageing population have led to more people living alone. However, Ms Conisbee points out that the pandemic also showed that many people prefer to live alone for lifestyle reasons. “Shorter term, the pandemic has shown that given the chance, many people prefer to live alone with a record increase in single-person households during the time. This trend may influence housing preferences, with a potential rise in demand for smaller dwellings and properties catering to individuals rather than traditional family units.”
Consumers are going to gravitate toward applications powered by the buzzy new technology, analyst Michael Wolf predicts
Chris Dixon, a partner who led the charge, says he has a ‘very long-term horizon’
