It features a nightclub, games room and a car stacker - which can summon any of owner John Caudwell's impressive car collection at the touch of a button. Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. Last year, the most expensive detached home on the market was a secluded Hollywood-style mansion near Hampstead Heath, which was listed for 40 million. But I always do it.". "I was looking for anything I deemed 'good value', regardless of size or price," says John during the programme. "Sometimes," he says, "when I look out of the window in winter and it's dark and two degrees above freezing and sleeting, I hesitate. And there's the helicopter. The crucial deadline? 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He sold all Caudwell Group BMW company cars and urged other businesses to do the same. ft. mega-manse was purchased in 2012 for about $100 million. A 17-seater cinema is a real showstopper, with the seats synchronised to lower at the same time if required. Please note you may be matched to one of our trusted partners such as CraftJack, Angi or Networx. The smooth charm of some self-made men is not evident, but there is a determined passion about the things that fire him up. But at that early stage I could never have anticipated the boom today. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website, use a shopping cart or make use of e-billing services. ]. I wanted to be in the real world." It was a matter of lateral thinking and analysing the situation, and that's what business is about - it's about analysing the things that you do and next time doing it better, faster and more profitably.". The 25,000 sq ft neo-classical residence in Avenue Road was built on a plot bought for 14 million in 2013 by Greek property developer George Dragoumanos. It is decked out with a personalised cinema, a dining room complete with flowing river and live fish and an indoor car park that is also a "beautiful piece of art". "I bought 26 phones which took eight months to sell," he says, ruefully. By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. * Connect with the best local, qualified and experienced professional near you The "car stacker" is John's favourite toy, as it can take eight cars from street level to storage at the press of a button. Lee Koffman, head of NW London sales at UK Sothebys International Realty, said: Ultimately its a family house for the mega-rich. It is popular with the super rich for its large plots, which allow homes to be demolished and rebuilt. Beside the nightclub with the unique mirrored floor sits a games room with a faux rose-covered ceiling. At the time of listing, it was the most expensive detached house on the open market in the UK. Designers Adam Architecture were briefed to come up with a traditionally British house that might be mistaken for having been there 200 years. ", So how did he succeed where the others failed? Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations with other readers. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. On 15 March, he launched 4U Net, a separate company which was Britain's first totally free internet service. Luxury features include a subterranean spa area with 14-metre pool, hammam and treatment and dressing rooms. all phoenix. I told them: 'I've got some really good products here, I'm selling them for charity, it's for the blind, but forget that because they're made from sandalwood, really good products at a really good price'. The extensive renovations of the mansion include a volcano wall, a swimming pool and staircases of solid white marble that connect to each of the eight floors. After a few years of throwing lavish parties, "Yes, that'd be right," he replies with a smile. "The suppliers really screwed my business. Barbara Cartland's former Mayfair home for sale for 40 Inside UK's most expensive home - The Mirror From the glamour of the Cte dAzur to the refined tree-lined streets of Mayfair, the Caudwell style combines the best in global design and craftsmanship. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 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Around four years ago, John decided to embark on a total renovation of what was, he says, a "tasteless gold palace". "It was a bit of a slow start. "The big service providers, on the other hand, couldn't get enough stock, because Motorola were supplying people like us because we paid them more for the phones. During the renovation, work on the swimming pool ground to a halt when a malfunction with the lighting meant the team had to lift the panel off the wall. "If you think having money means that life is going to be fantastic all the time, that you can move from one wonderful thing to the next, then you need to recalibrate," he says. The property was bought in 2012 by businessman John Caudwell, 67, who sold his Phones 4u chain for just under 1.5 billion in 2006. John Caudwell The privately-held Caudwell Group, in which he has a majority stake, owns a mobile phone empire including the country's biggest mobile phone distribution network, repair service, accessories distributor and independent airtime provider. Ancaster House "So I managed to talk some big retailers into buying the product from me, on the basis that most of the profit in those days was in selling the airtime, not how much you managed to buy the phone for. 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", Britain's Most Expensive Home: Building For A Billionaire, Wednesday 5February at 9pm on Channel 4, Take a look inside billionaire John Caudwell's 250million mansion home in new Channel 4 documentary, The pair are considering a move to London, Sports Illustrated star Heidi's daughter no longer lives at home, The actress plays DCI Vera Stanhope in the hit show, Police swarmed Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's home after a fan turned up on her doorstep, Fixer Upper star Joanna Gaines has left her fans concerned, Angelina has recently joined The Repair Shop team, The Loose Women star isn't afraid of change. The 25,000 sq ft neo-classical residence in Avenue Road was built on a plot bought for 14 million in 2013 by Greek property developer George Dragoumanos. asks Carole Malone inthe Sunday Mirror. A stuffy old bloke wearing pin-striped trousers looked me up and down as though I had something rather unpleasant on my shoes. John Caudwell During the renovation, work on the swimming pool ground to a halt when a malfunction with the lighting meant the team had to lift the panel off the wall. "I've got this spectacularly perfect house, if someone spills some red wine on the carpet I'm going to just look away," says John. "They'd say, 'Ooh yeah, that's gorgeous, how much is that?'" The Channel 4 team join the build for its final stages: a point when the project - which has already run over on time - is 55 million over budget, too. Hes currently dating 36-year-old Lithuanian cycling champion and former Olympian Modesta Vzesniauskaite. To wind down away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the property boasts an indoor pool with a volcanic lava installation. Set in a Portland stone building, the super-home spans 43,000sq ft and has more than enough room for John, his partner and former Olympian Modesta Vesniauskait and their six-month-old son, William, to roam around. Known as Mayfair house, Caudwells roughly 43,000 sq. Take a sneak peek at the incredible renovation here With the incredible house, John aimed to create one of the most lavish homes to be renovated in the UK. newly built 10-bedroom mansion in St Johns Wood has become the most expensive home to go on the London market this year, with a price tag of 75 million. He owns three of the fastest road-legal motorbikes ever made. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations. "For the first time I based myself in the mobile phone business, which I hadn't been concentrating on before, and within a month I turned the 1,000 a month loss into a 2,000 a month profit.". Five crystal chandeliers stretch up over four floors to transform the staircases. Mr Caudwell has built his businesses up from scratch and, with his brother Brian, a minority investor, is estimated to be worth 300m, placing the duo 85th on The Sunday Times Rich List. Every morning, he clocks up 40 miles, returns to his rural manor house, then Inside the St John's Wood mega mansion and other super-glam homes, Jaw dropping: the crystal chandelier in the grand hall, Vast: a formaldrawing and dining room has French doors leading to gardens and a sunken courtyard, You must be at least 18 years old to create an account, Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number, I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from Evening Standard. In Mayfair, the wealthy businessman John Caudwell, founder of the retail chain Phones 4u, was also lusting after a home. "That business taught me about the ruthless manipulation of large corporates," he says. The super-home has 110 rooms; spanning 43,000sq ft - which is roughly the average size of 55 London flats and more than twice the size of the Royal Albert Hall. It is all a far cry from John's humble beginnings growing up in Wellesley Street in Shelton. Oh, and the house? Inside Tech Billionaire John Caudwells $300 Million London Home. A Chinese owner, who paid 40 million for a plot in Avenue Road two years ago, is building an even bigger 30,000 sq ft house that could be worth close to 100 million when it is finished. The 250million property boasts eight floors, 15 bedrooms, and a 120-capacity ballroom, which is rumoured to be the largest privately-owned hall in the capital. Julie Neville shares an exclusive access-all-areas tour of her incredible family home, Gogglebox stars Mary and Giles share shocking revelation about Wiltshire home amid relocation reports. Consent to content doesn't require you to purchase service. Obstacles in his path included an incorrectly installed lava wall and a 500,000 underground car park frame, which was the wrong size by 10mm. Having sold his firm to Microsoft last year for $2.5bn he now feels trapped, reports the Daily Mail, "in a world every bit as isolated and purposeless as the digital one he invented". As always you can unsubscribe at any time. A newly built 10-bedroom mansion in St Johns Wood has become the most expensive home to go on the London market this year, with a price tag of 75 million. Whatissurprising, though, is that the owner of the $300 million-plus property is John Caudwell, an Englishman with working-class roots who made his fortune through the mobile phone company Phones 4U, which he sold for 1.5 billion in 2006. Britains Most Expensive Home: Building For a Billionaire, a one-off documentary on Channel 4, followed the highs and lows of his renovation journey. It really has been a labor of love, Cauldwell said. "I got a retrospective rebate from Motorola if I bought a lot of product. I was only looking for a little pad in London!