"If you want a definition of Western civilisation in a single view, then here it is.” These are the glowing words architectural critic Ian Nairn used to describe The Holme, a palatial villa inside London's Regent Park. The property had made headlines since it hit the market in March 2023 as, if it fetched its predicted £250 million, The Holme was to become the most expensive home in the United Kingdom, beating the current top spot – a £210 million mansion in nearby Hyde Park – by tens of millions of pounds. But now it has sold for £139m.
Who swept up the bargain? A UK subsidiary of Zedra, a corporate services firm that advises and manages investments for wealthy people, according to land records, as first reported by the Financial Times.
So, what does the definition of Western civilisation look like? The 3-storey residence, constructed in 1818, is 29,000 square feet, with 40 bedrooms, eight garages, an underground swimming pool and a tennis court. The Holme – which means ‘river island’ in Saxon – sits in 4-acres of land next to the park's boating lake and in the environs of Regent Park's Open Air Theatre and the London Zoo. With its Ionic portico and pediments on entrance and rotunda decorated with colonnades, the villa feels distinctly presidential. Indeed, the property has a gilded history of sagas and power struggles.
During his reign, King Henry VIII stole the land the house is located on from the Church and Oliver Cromwell then stole it from King Charles II to pay for military costs. In 1806, John Nash developed a plan to build 26 homes in the Park. He ran out of money, and developer Decimus Burton bailed him out – bagging The Holme, one of the final eight pads, for his family. It is a similar turn of events that means the property is on the market today. Its current owner Prince Abdullah, a member of the Saudi Royal Family defaulted on a £150 million loan. His most valuable asset was The Holme – forcing him to sell it.
X content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Sadly, due to privacy and the likely limited pool of buyers who can entertain buying The Holme, there are no photos of the property inside. However, in 2017 the BBC released an archive clip from when the property went up for sale in 1988 (for £30 million). “As with all estate agents' details, there are things they don't tell you,” goes the tongue-in-cheek reporting. “The neighbours [swans] are sometimes a bit noisy. You are overlooked by the heron family, and a squatter [duck] has moved in with a view to breeding." But, if you are still thinking of visiting the home this weekend, then the agent's original message still probably applies: “No time wasters, please.”
