Nestled near London’s upscale neighborhoods of Hampstead and Highgate lies The Bishops Avenue, often called Billionaire’s Row or the world’s most expensive street. This remarkable location features over 60 grand mansions, many valued at tens of millions of pounds, yet numerous properties sit vacant and crumbling while affluent life thrives nearby.
Mysterious Ownership and Global Connections
Ownership of these opulent homes often traces to offshore companies in tax havens like the Bahamas, Panama, and the British Virgin Islands, making many proprietors difficult to identify. Sources indicate that about 60% of the properties belong to such shell corporations.
Known owners include the Saudi royal family, who acquired a cluster of mansions dubbed “The Towers” in the 1980s as a precaution against potential invasion from Iraq. Heath Hall, once owned by a Czech magnate, has hosted celebrities like Justin Bieber and Salma Hayek as renters. Recent reports highlight links to Iran’s leadership, including supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, with at least 13 properties purchased for around £75 million. UK politicians call for immediate probes into whether Britain serves as a haven for wealth tied to oppressive regimes.
History of Intrigue, Crime, and Celebrity
The street’s legacy dates to the 1930s as “Millionaire’s Row,” with early residents like sugar tycoon William Lyle at Heath Hall, recently rented by Bieber for £27,000 per week. Other notable figures include the Sultan of Brunei, a former Lebanese prime minister, Greece’s last king Constantine II, and publisher Richard Desmond.
Toprak Mansion, a 30,000 sq ft estate built by Turkish entrepreneur Halis Toprak in the 1990s, set a UK sales record at £50 million in 2008 to a Kazakhstani billionaire. It later sold for £66 million in 2013 to a British Virgin Islands-registered firm and boasted a Turkish bath for 20 people.
Tragedy marks the avenue: Greek-Cypriot fashion magnate Aristos Constantinou was fatally shot by intruders on New Year’s Day 1985 in the unsolved “Silver Bullets Murder”; his wife survived. Author Salman Rushdie lived in fortified secrecy here under police guard after Iran’s death warrant. A Nigerian politician’s home fell to squatters post-2007, leading to its destruction by fire. In 2006, thieves stole £2 million in goods from an asset manager’s property—one of London’s biggest heists. The street also houses contestants during BBC’s The Apprentice filming in a £17 million, eight-bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion.
Derelict Properties and Redevelopment
Many mansions decay despite their prime location. A local estate agent notes, “One gentleman from Russia never leaves The Bishops Avenue. He won’t even go around the corner.” Luxury property consultant Trevor Abrahmsohn states, “The Bishops Avenue is so interesting that you could say if it didn’t exist it would need to be invented,” adding that homes shift from Savile Row elites to more shadowy owners.
Redevelopment progresses: Hammerson House became a care facility in 2021, with another luxury elderly residence planned for 2025 featuring 93 flats. The Towers now head to developers for high-end apartments.
Quiet Streets Patrolled by Security
Visitors describe a hushed atmosphere. Recent accounts reveal few residents, with gates locked tight and constant private security patrols in hi-vis gear. One observer notes the disrepair of some houses, lamenting that these vast properties stand empty instead of housing deserving families in this stunning part of London.
