A family of Russian oligarchs is building London’s second biggest residence after Queen’s Buckingham Palace at an estimated cost of £100 mln. The historical mansion Witanhurst in Highgate, north London, was bought for £50 mln on the name of the British Virgin Islands-registered company, and it became known that the real purchaser and the person behind the company is Yelena Baturina, the richest woman in Russia and the wife of Moscow’s mayor Yuri Luzhkov. His work in this position has been blamed for the destruction of a third part of historical buildings of the city.
According to the submitted plans of the house, the underground labyrinth for the mansion is one of the biggest basement areas in Britain. Among other premises, it will include a cinema, a beauty parlour, swimming pool and parking for 24 cars with a lift to take the vehicles up two flights to street level. Digging works will take up to six months, and the total conversion may cost about £50 mln.