The former Knightsbridge home of the British prima ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn, which hosted royalty, fashion icons and world-renowned performers, is set to become one of London’s most coveted addresses as it comes to the market for $85.81 million.
Originally constructed in 1928, the mansion – now known as Fonteyn House – served as the official residence of Dame Margaret’s husband, the Panamanian Ambassador, from the 1930s until the late 1990s. In 2011, it was sold, and by 2016, plans to reimagine and extend the property were approved. The restoration has been completed by luxury developer Caudwell.
‘Just a short walk from Harrods, Fonteyn House is a magnificent new Knightsbridge mansion with its own gated private driveway, built behind the retained period garden façade to an exceptional level of quality, craftsmanship and luxury,’ says founder John Caudwell of the property on Thurloe Place. ‘With unrivalled health and leisure facilities, a walled garden and rooftop terrace it is without doubt the finest house in Knightsbridge.’
A balletic legacy in Knightsbridge
Fonteyn married the Panamanian Ambassador to the UK, Dr Roberto Emilio Arias in 1955. The three-storey Art Deco-inspired Fonteyn House was their official residence throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and the mansion became a gathering place for the elite, hosting distinguished guests including Rudolf Nureyev, Princess Margaret and Yves Saint Laurent.
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Fonteyn’s famous ballet partner Nureyev lived at Fonteyn House after defecting from the USSR in 1961, while his contract with the Royal Ballet was being finalised. The mansion’s second-floor studio, once Fonteyn’s dance space, is now a guest suite—a nod to its illustrious past.
Unveiling Fonteyn House
The features are en pointe: the mansion boasts six bedroom suites, three grand reception rooms, a private cinema and club room, a state-of-the-art health spa, and a 15-metre swimming pool. Complementing these amenities is a walled garden, a rooftop terrace with a fully equipped kitchen and bar, and breathtaking views of the neighbouring Victoria & Albert Museum.
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The main reception room features parquet flooring in a Herringbone pattern, an Emperador marble Regency fireplace, and a built-in cocktail bar clad in rare Persian Palissandro Bluette marble.
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Lars Christiaanse, group director of sales at Caudwell, said the house, with its unique history and location, will attract global buyers.
‘This mansion has entertained royalty, fashion icons, and world-renowned performers,’ she noted. ‘Its seclusion, despite being in the heart of Knightsbridge, gives it the peaceful ambience of a country house garden, appealing to discerning buyers from around the world.’
