According to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2021, John is worth 1.566 billion and is the UK's 103rd wealthiest person. The London property is mainly used for his charity - Caudwell Children, which supports disabled children and their families. The huge property has a ballroom, 15 bedrooms and eight floors, spanning 43,000 sq feet. "They were still as big as bricks, and very much a specialist, marginal tool," he says. At the heart of the programme is the intriguing character of Caudwell himself a tough taskmaster, but also a committed philanthropist. Mr Caudwell's next business would provide the path to his later success. They were unscrupulous, they dishonoured the commitment they'd given me when it no longer suited their business." The smooth charm of some self-made men is not evident, but there is a determined passion about the things that fire him up. The luxury pad, located in London's Mayfair, is a billionaire's paradise with its own bar and cinema. "It was just a matter of making everything very tasteful, which ended up being a complete and total bare brick renovation," the 69-year-old said. There's also a secure underground garage with a hydraulic car lift with space for up to four cars. His property business, Caudwell, includes some of the most magnificent residences in the world. Instead, he hopes to host charity events for Caudwell Children, a 20-year-old charity he founded dedicated to helping children with disabilities and their families. "Little did I know back then I'd have a child in the same situation. The renovation of an extraordinary home carved out of two mega mansions in the heart of Mayfair is to be featured in a one-off documentary on Channel 4 tonight. Rufus's case is much worse. The expansive gym includes state of the art equipment. He left school at 16, three months into A-levels in maths, physics and chemistry. Customise cookies or read more in our Cookie Policy. But despite the drastic revamp, he left his beloved ballroom mostly untouched. All rights reserved. The ground floor of the Dragoumanos property has a vast formal drawing and dining room with French doors leading to gardens and a sunken courtyard. See more images from the magnificent home below: JUNE 4-8: A California luxury road rally like no other. This would be a tiring journey by car, I say. All the money in the world can't buy you health. Hydraulic car lift. The first was mail-order, selling motorcyle clothing from home. 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. So we've got to give them fixed wire propositions, mobile phone propositions, pay-TV propositions, internet propositions, so they get a complete package from us for all they need, and we'll send them one bill, which makes them happier and cuts our administration costs. He said: I would describe them as leisurely.' From here, guests can see the vintage and luxury cars John chooses to display in his car stacker storage. The huge property has 15 bedrooms and eight floors, spanning 43,000 sq feet. Mr Caudwell, an outspoken Thatcherite, is passionate about that, saying cross-subsidising firms is as bad for a corporation as state-subsidised industry is for a national economy. Lee Koffman, head of NW London sales at UK Sothebys International Realty, said: Ultimately its a family house for the mega-rich. 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. account. Get the Robb Report newsletter for similar stories delivered straight to your inbox. The crucial deadline? The documentary will take a look at the unique engineering tasks and challenges to create a subterranean basement that joins two mansions together, a mechanical car stacker that can take eight cars from street level to storage with ease, a pool with a bespoke installation designed to look like lava and even a dining room featuring a real river - complete with live fish. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. It would have been ruined anyway, McFly: 'NME used to call us c***s - now they give us five-star reviews', On TV tonight, BBC Two uncovers Chanel's mystery man Karl Lagerfeld, Interior Design Masters is the only good talent contest left on TV, The best part of Interior Design Masters is the baffled tradies, Helen Flanagan could win I'm a Celebrity South Africa if there was a public vote - too bad, The best new books in May 2023, from Tom Hanks' debut novel to Emma Cline's The Guest, How the audiobook boom made listening the new reading, The sexist bunny boiler trope is gone. You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. 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. If you are looking for a specialized Arizona professional for your car lift installation project, then you are in luck! Given Caudwells taste in sparkling, Elton John-like jackets (which are displayed on mannequins in the home), its hardly surprising that theres a more than just a hint of Liberace or Louis XIV about the place. But if youre going to make before-and-after property porn, dont try and claim its all forcharity. One is what Caudwell describes as a hideous former car park that will be redeveloped into super prime luxury apartments on South Audley Street. Businessman John Caudwell has created Britain's most expensive home in Mayfair it's more than twice the size of the Royal Albert Hall and worth 250 million. I bought the cheapest Amstrad computer there was, had a girl sitting next to me loading the names of all the phone dealers in the country and started prospecting them on the phone and started selling them wholesale phones.". Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations. Both buildings form a single site and are linked at the basement level. He is also a speed freak. Caudwell has good reason to feel this way. I saw all the adults would come back to the minibus and nobody would have sold anything. 20:20 Logistics is already Europe's largest handset distributor, with operations in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Denmark and Norway. PHONES4U billionaire John Caudwell has shown off Britains most expensive home worth 250million after he merged two mansions together. TAKE a look inside John Caudwell's extravagant mansion that's Britain's most expensive home. But one of John's favourite features of the house is the car stacker lift, which is visible from within the house through strong glass, keeping his vintage motors on A protected practice of any sort can't win. Just last weekend the police managed to find 7,000 officers to patrol the Notting Hill carnival at a cost of 7m. These cookies record your visit to our website, the pages you have visited and the links you have followed. I think this is true. One quickly gets the impression that Mr Caudwell is utterly, unstoppably determined in everything he sets out to do. 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. Read our, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}. The renovation ran over time and 55 million over budget and the the results will be seen once again on Channel 4's Britain's Most Expensive Home: Building for a Billionaire, which airs at 8pm this evening (August 5). Consent to content doesn't require you to purchase service. John Caudwell has kindly offered up one of his homes to shelter refugees as Putin's war continues to rage through Ukraine. His family was brought up in poverty in a terraced house in Stoke. "So I bought it, I think it was 87million.". His favourite Honda VTR1000SP-1 accelerates from zero to 60mph in two seconds and has a top speed of more than 170mph. CL. Heres a brief summary: The homes volcano wall and indoor swimming pool. "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. Enter your password to log in. Policymakers now have a chance to fix some of the underlying problems holdin, Even a small increase to your monthly pension contributions could add tens of thousands of pounds to your retirement pot. So could he see that the future for mobile telephony was so bright? Money can't buy happiness for John Caudwell. "We'd go around knocking on people's doors saying we were selling soap products for the blind. Nothing in the Swede's difficult early life (his father was a drug addict and his parents divorced when he was 12) prepared him for huge wealth and, as many lottery winners have found, sudden riches never have the magical effect they're expected to have. John's impressive refurbishment is also for the sake of his charity, Caudwell Children. John - who recently had a child with Olympic cyclist Modesta Vzesniauskaite - also owns the 12 million Jacobean manor house Broughton Hall, near Eccleshall, and has a property in Monaco. Mayfair is one of London s priciest neighborhoods; for decades, its been an ultra-exclusive enclave of wealthy Arab oil tycoons and celebrity-laden nightclubs. I told them if they hadn't got the phones they were losing market share. 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. Five crystal chandeliers stretch up over four floors to transform the staircases. A burst pipe just six weeks before John intends to move in almost derails the entire renovation, and self-described micro-manager John is unimpressed with the progress he sees on his frequent visits. There is also a games room overlooking the pool, a 12-seater cinema with bar, two climate-controlled wine cellars, a cigar room and an underground garage with four-car hydraulic lift. "All of a sudden, the phone manager left and the key car salesmen found other jobs, so I had to restructure the business," he says. asks Carole Malone inthe Sunday Mirror. Sylvester Stallone Snaps Up a $35 Million Palm Beach Estate, Marc Anthony Lists His Massive Waterfront Florida Mansion for $27 Million, Tommy Hilfiger Lists His Regal Connecticut Estate for $47.5 Million, From Bulgari to Porsche: Branded Residences Are Flooding the Prime Marketand Selling. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. 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. Yet his initial masterplan for life took a long time to start working. He says relationships between his companies are often worse than external relations with, ostensibly, rival companies, which he says is "very healthy", adding: "A protected practice of any sort can't win. Man, 20, in critical condition after assault in Beckenham, UK running extra evacuation flight to rescue Britons from Sudan, Islamic State leader killed in Syria, says Turkey, The Kings Coronation Concert to feature a Union Flag-shaped stage, Warning of exceptionally low staffing levels as nurses strike, MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo dies aged 46, a secluded Hollywood-style mansion near Hampstead Heath, County lines mum ran selfish sons drugs ring while he was in jail, Coronation allegiance oath in support of King tone deaf, Couple ordered to tear down 80,000 extension in fight with neighbours, Mum says son was too embarrassed to leave killer girlfriend. But the mobile phone tycoon couldn't resist adding his own personal touch. Or 2.4 per cent of this renovation project. These are used to recognise you when you return to our website. "My first thoughts were that there were big margins in this business, but very low volumes, and the volumes would go up and the margins would come down. Around the room, shots from iconic films have been superimposed with the faces of John and his family. Mr Caudwell is married, with three children aged 20, 12 and five, and he is the local co-ordinator for the NSPCC and the founder of a children's charity. This house is exceptionally wide Featuring a variety of single post, 2-post, and 4-post car As the documentary makers, builders and site managers pack up, John is preparing for the 30 or so close friends arriving that evening to celebrate his birthday. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. The house is estimated to be worth 250million after refurbishments. Phones 4u founder John Caudwell'snew-look Mayfair home has London's largestprivate ballroomafter Buckingham Palace. "The site was just unbelievable," the dad-of-six said. Nobody knew about mobiles then, there was hardly any demand, and anyway nobody would come to a car salesman to buy a phone." Visit our corporate site www.futureplc.com Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. He attended Shelton Church of England School and then Berry Hill High School before abandoning his A-levels to become an apprentice at Michelin and later becoming a second-hand car dealer. 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'. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The Phones4U founder - who grew up in Shelton - spent 65 million and four years renovating the property in one of the world's most exclusive postcodes. The Phones 4 U founder knocked together two mansions to create his dream home, which is the average size of 55 London flats and more than twice the size of the Royal Albert Hall. post. It was purchased by Mr Caudwell for 87 million, before the renovation "I'm probably lucky, because I inherently know how business should be. The fully-kitted out kitchen with high end Gaggenau appliances. The documentary, which will air on Wednesday 5 February at 9pm, takes a look at the major challenges that comes with such a massive project. Plus, get the exclusive Robb Report tote bag FREE. "It's one of my favourite rooms in the house and it was sort of my creation," Jon said. It is a Grade I listed building . Viewers will be able to catch a glimpse inside one of the UK's most lavish homes when Stoke-on-Trent billionaire John Caudwell 's Mayfair mansion features on TV tonight. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. "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, who sold his Phones 4u chain in 2006 for almost 1.5bn. Earn nearly 5% on one-year fixed savings accounts. He is a man with huge wealth, but one who still counts the pennies, the boy from Stoke who has set his heart on a home in the old money world of Mayfair. ft. mega-manse was purchased in 2012 for about $100 million. Both buildings form a single site and are linked at the basement level. Meanwhile, "we're told the cuts mean Lewisham officers now have to take buses to crime scenes because there's a shortage of pool cars. refresh results with search filters open search menu. "But there's a wrinkle or two with their service, which we don't have. Since I spend all day wandering around London I accurately responded: I would describe them as comfortable.' "I just wasn't academic. In Mayfair, the wealthy businessman John Caudwell, founder of the retail chain Phones 4u, was also lusting after a home. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, The sprawling 250million mansion is owned by Phones 4 U founder John Caudwell, Britains Most Expensive Home John Caudwell, Credit: (Channel 4 images must not be altered or manipulated in any way) CHANNEL 4 PICTURE PUBLIC, The stunning swimming pool has a lava volcano theme, The property is in Mayfair and has its own bar, The majestic ballroom was left pretty much untouched by John during renovations, John lives in the pad with his wife Modesta Vesniauskait and their six-month-old son, William, It's a billionaire's paradise with its own bar and cinema, The spa room even has a sunken jacuzzi to relax in, One of the mega-mansions luxurious bedrooms, John's extravagant home cinema is now adorned with snaps of his family recreating film stars famous poses, The plush games room is the perfect place for entertaining, Tinie Tempah shocked as Extraordinary Extensions developer spends 11million transforming basement, inside some of Britain's most expensive homes, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). 12 The sprawling 250million mansion is owned by Phones 4 U founder John Caudwell Credit: CHANNEL 4 PICTURE PUBLIC 12 The group's 1999 turnover was 596m, up from 160m in 1996. Please note you may be matched to one of our trusted partners such as CraftJack, Angi or Networx. Courtesy of Channel 4. Some years ago, Harvard psychologists concluded that our brains are designed to stay at a "stable point" of happiness and the intensity of our emotional response to change, whether for good or bad, is less than we think it will be. The retailer was selling phones for 1,600 each, and two for 1,350. So I ended up servicing phones, repairing phones, wholesaling phones without airtime and wholesaling them with airtime as brokers for airtime companies. "A big increase from the 10[million] I originally conceived, somewhat naively," he adds. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. "When he was ten, [he] started developing what appeared to be mental problems panic attacks, serious agoraphobia and a terror of sickness," says his father. Design Star Hendifar on Sketching, Finding Calm, and His Favorite Cartier Watch, This Mobile Safari Tent Unfolds Into a Luxe Sleeper No Matter Where You Camp, 5 Stylish Outdoor Rocking Chairs for Relaxing All Summer Long, The 15 Best Fire Pits to Make Your Backyard Even Cozier, The house contains 15 bedrooms on eight floors, three of which are subterranean, 20,000 sheets of gold leaf were used in the interior, An underground car stacker system can hold up to eight vehicles, A total of 343,082 cubic feet of earth was excavated to accommodate geothermal heating and cooling amidst other subterranean delights, There is a river in the dining room which is 16.5 inches deep populated with African cichlid fish. The documentary, like Caudwell, had remarkably little self-awareness, failing to ask what possible point there was in all this: the stress, the expense, the deeply ugly custom-made tables with gold leaf-lined cracks. Expert and Professional Commercial and Residential Car Lift Installation for Commercial & Residential. 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. His first jobs were, variously, sweeping a pottery floor, manhandling steel ingots in a mill, and working as a nightclub bouncer. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Other features you might not expect to find in this historic London enclave include a Thai-themed dining room John's favourite food with a river flowing through its centre filled with handpicked African Cichlid fish, all set beneath a preserved 15-foot cherry tree adorned with pink silk blossom. The master bedroom suite has a huge crystal light finished with a gold leaf trim, plus an emperor-sized bed. So it was better to buy from me at an increased price than to not have them at all and not have any sales. As well as a cinema room, there are further sitting rooms spread across the spacious property. PHONES4U billionaire John Caudwell has shown off Britains most expensive home worth 250million after he merged two mansions together. * Connect with the best local, qualified and experienced professional near you Today they operate as entirely separate enterprises with no horizontal links or mutually favourable agreements. There are stunning embroidered chairs to relax in while enjoying a film - perfectly situated in close proximity to the popcorn machine. It is often his preferred spot to host his charity events for his foundation, Caudwell Children, which supports disabled children and their families. In the early Nineties, he developed his strategy of wanting to be in "every single aspect of mobile telephones that it was possible to get into". "It's a massive sadness in my life." And John Caudwell has plans. He says he became convinced of the profit-making potential of the retail side only recently, though in typical fashion he is expanding the business rapidly, with a further 70 shops to open this year. "I arrived first. Five crystal chandeliers stretch up over four floors to transform the staircases. To wind down away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the property boasts an indoor pool with a volcanic lava installation. He then knocked them into one giant 43,000 square-foot mansion - the size of Westminster Cathedral or 55 average London flats - before embarking on the revamp. A river filled with handpicked African Cichlid fish flows through the centre of the room. The ground floor of the Dragoumanos property has a vast formal drawing and dining room with French doors leading to gardens and a sunken courtyard. He bounds down the stairs to the reception area of his HQ building to meet me himself, and chats amiably with employees who seem undaunted by him. He asked to be accredited as a dealer straightaway. ", His voice rises enthusiastically with the memory. "It was a bit of a slow start. It really has been a labor of love, Cauldwell said. John Caudwell, 57, founder of Phones 4U, sold the company along with 20:20 Distribution in September 2006 for a combined sum of 1.64bn. He used 20,000 sheets of gold leaf throughout the property's opulent interiors. "When I do the first charity party, maybe with 80 or 90 people in that ballroom, and we raise a load of money for Caudwell Children, I will enjoy that more than anything else I could ever do in my life," says owner John. The single window has a view over a car park and wasteland near a busy roundabout. Subscribe to MoneyWeek now and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE. He's also a curious mix of modesty and obvious wealth. Niall Keating, chef director at Lunar Restaurant, has taken inspiration from the classic bacon and cheese filling. That way, he says: "I'd find out which was the best way to end up making money. He shakes his head. Its been 16 years, but the UK economy finally has a chance, How to boost your pension pot by over 100,000, The best one-year fixed savings accounts - April 2023, MoneyWeek is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. He sold all Caudwell Group BMW company cars and urged other businesses to do the same. Interiors were designed by Athens and London-based Sissy Feida and include a 13-metre crystal floor-to-ceiling hanging chandelier in the grand hall. 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. From offering you easier car maintenance to additional vehicle storage, a home garage car lift is a dream for every Iconic discount shop to shut its doors next month - is your local affected? Well, other than Buckingham Palace, of course.". Every morning, he clocks up 40 miles, returns to his rural manor house, then drives to his office in Stoke-on-Trent. Known as Mayfair house, Caudwells roughly 43,000 sq. We will use this information to make our website and the advertising displayed on it more relevant to your interests. With previous unsympathetic alterations to the interiors of both buildings and much of the original fabric removed, MSMR's redevelopment has returned the original plan form to the lower ground floor and moved the modern interventions to the new basement. After a few years of throwing lavish parties, Caudwell recentlyembarked on an epic-scale renovation that reportedly ran him an astonishing $85 million. READ:Julie Neville shares an exclusive access-all-areas tour of her incredible family home, Speaking about the new series, executive producer Dan Barraclough said: "This incredible access gives us a glimpse into the world of the truly mega wealthy, where every whim can be realised, but where things can still go wrong, as on any building site. The luxury property's more informal sitting room. The philanthropist dad-of-six - who sold Phones4u in 2006 for just under 1.5 billion - had already splashed out 87 million on buying Ancaster House, and the neighbouring property from Prince Jefri Bolkiah, the brother of the Sultan of Brunei. On the inside I felt the same especially about the staff. He owns three of the fastest road-legal motorbikes ever made. Courtesy of Channel 4. Which equates to three underfloor garage frames. At the time of listing, it was the most expensive detached house on the open market in the UK. It's just an instinct, I know that's the way to do it.". "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. The master bedroom suite has a huge crystal light finished with a gold leaf trim, plus the emperor-sized bed. A birthday dinner Caudwell wanted to hold. He acquired the site in 2012 and, after several years in the planning stage, a three-year build phase is finally set to begin this year. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations. Iconic high street favourite to return after 4 years as shoppers 'can't wait'. (His companies now sell more than that every minute.) Webphoenix for sale "car lift" - craigslist. "I would knock on those doors until I'd been to every door in the neighbourhood. The refurbishment also includes an incredible 78 miles of electricity cables, eco-friendly heating, a subterranean cinema and a spa complete with pools heat experiences and a gym. The 67-year But at that early stage I could never have anticipated the boom today. Billionaire businessman John Caudwell bought Audley Street garage and the surrounding buildings in Mayfair for around 155 million in 2011. View our online Press Pack. The campaign had only modest success and fizzled out with the Rover sale this month. John, aged 68, said: "It was incredibly ostentatious but it had some phenomenal features so I bought it. There is even a 500,000 car stacking device that can take eight cars from street level to storage at the press of a button., plus an indoor pool with a volcanic lava installation. You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. READ:Chrissy Teigen shows off her super-tidy pantry and even Marie Kondo is impressed! From 10, Mr Caudwell says he had one aim. "I spotted the opportunity that as a small dealer I could buy all the stock I wanted from Motorola, but it was at a high price," he says.

Stefano Magaddino House, Celebrate Recovery Locations, Sandra Lansky Net Worth, Articles J