The former London home of Woodrow Lyle Wyatt, a friend and confidante to Margaret Thatcher and the Queen Mother, is on the market for £9.95 million (US$14.1 million).
The Grade II-Listed house, on Cavendish Avenue in the neighborhood of St. John’s Wood, hosted both of the powerful English women during Wyatt’s tenure at the property from the mid-20th century until his death at the age of 79 in 1997, according to the Savills listing of the home, which went on the market last month.
More:America’s ‘Most Expensive Home’ Gets $62 Million Discount
The 5,238-square-foot property was built in 1845 and has 11 bedrooms, two bathrooms, five reception rooms, a cellar, a garden, a garage and off-street parking. It is in need of refurbishment, the listing said, describing it as "unmodernized."
Mansion Global could not determine the current owner of the home.
"The sale of Cavendish Avenue offers a very exciting prospect for a future buyer—properties like this seldom come to the market," said Stephen Lindsay, head of Savills St John’s Wood to Mansion Global via email.
"Not only is it positioned in one of north London’s most sought-after residential roads and overlooking the practice pitch at Lord’s Cricket Ground, it also has a fascinating history and has welcomed some of the nation’s most prominent individuals through its doors," he added.
Wyatt was a politician, newspaper columnist, television presenter and "was marked by a trail of beautiful and often wealthy and titled women, cases of fine claret and a cloud of Havana cigar smoke," according to his obituary in The New York Times.
From Penta:102-Carat Flawless Diamond Breaks Sale Record
He is thought to be the only journalist who could telephone 10 Downing Street—the Prime Minister’s house—and ask for Thatcher and be put through at once, according to a representative for Savills, and in 1983 he was knighted by Thatcher, becoming Lord Wyatt of Weeford.
The Queen Mother, a regular visitor to Cavendish Avenue, once wrote of the property:
"Dear Lord Wyatt,
It is always a great pleasure to visit Cavendish Avenue, and last Tuesday was an extra treat, because I had never seen your charming house in daylight! It all looked so lovely, with that beautiful garden giving such a feeling of peace and tranquility."
The Daily Telegraph first reported the listing.