It seems appropriate that a recently revamped 10-bedroom London mansion sports a blue plaque announcing it was once the home of Sir Harold Gillies, the father of plastic surgery.
From first appearances it is clear the 6,071 square foot Victorian residence has undergone its own facelift; it now offers five reception rooms, a feature tower room, gym space, a swimming pool, staff accommodation and substantial terraced gardens.
On the market for £18.95 million (Dh104.5 million), the house – known as 71 Frognal – in the leafy and affluent suburb of Hampstead in north-west London, was Gillies’ family home, where he received some of his more famous clients for consultations.
And, since its construction in the early 1800s, 71 Frognal has also had its own share of work done, creating a mix of period features and recent innovations throughout the house with a grand dining room that leads into a cocktail bar and television lounge.
Upstairs, the master bedroom has his and hers dressing rooms and bathrooms, and overlooks an outdoor heated swimming pool and terraces, while a secret staircase at the back of the house provides an unobtrusive exit.
Another spiral staircase leads to the second floor, where one of the bedrooms includes its own private tower at the top of the house.
With the house comes a separate guests’ cottage, a gym, off-street parking for three cars, electric gates and a high-tech piped music system so inhabitants can listen to tunes all around the house and in the garden at the same time.
It is these more modern features combined with the period house that the marketing agent Beauchamp Estates hopes will attract interest from Middle Eastern buyers.
Unusually, the house has the ability to become two separate homes connected on the ground and first floors, creating a family space and a grown-up space.
Q&A
Who was Sir Harold Gillies?
He was a surgeon from Dunedin, New Zealand referred to by many as the father of plastic surgery for his pioneering work relating to facial reconstruction on soldiers injured during World War I. He was Knighted in 1930 for performing more than 11,000 operations on more than 5,000 men disfigured during heavy fighting in France.
What else did he do?
Gillies went on to develop flap surgery; a revolutionary method of surgery where a flap of skin is taken from one area of the body to then aid healing in another. As part of this process Gillies also discovered that these flaps could be rolled into tubes, further assisting reconstructive surgery and later gender reassignment.
All this must have made him a wealthy man?
Despite his fame and private practice, when he died in 1960, he left a relatively modest estate of £21,161 (the modern-day equivalent of Dh2.4 million).
Tell me more about the home’s location?
It is three minutes’ walk into the much sought-after Hampstead Village – home to stylish boutiques and artisan food stores. The area also has several top-performing schools and excellent transport connections, including two underground stops and three nearby airports.
lbarnard@thenational.ae
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