In London\u2019s billionaires\u2019 rows \u2013 especially those of the notorious lights-out variety, with houses whose owners rarely set foot in them \u2013 great security, like fashion and soft furnishings, is all about layering. It needs to work perfectly and seamlessly, but it needs to look good too and blend in with the d\u00e9cor. Take the handmade safes by the German company Stockinger, which can cost more than \u00a3100,000 and come in any colour you like, with customised handles and interiors.<\/p>\n
The sky\u2019s the limit when it comes to how much the wealthiest home owners will pay for peace of mind. Beatrice Knight at DDRE Global is handling a neo\u00adclassical mansion on the Wentworth Estate in Surrey that rents out for \u00a312,500 a night \u2013 and whose owners have spent \u00a3500,000 on \u201csecurity and additional supporting technology\u201d.<\/p>\n
In high-priced townhouses, \u201ca dedicated staff and security wing at the point of entry often sets the scene,\u201d comments Adam Arya, co-founder of Arya Douge architects. \u201cFrom there, protection becomes almost invisible \u2013 carefully planned circulation, controlled sightlines, and spaces that allow the house to be monitored without ever feeling surveilled.\u201d<\/p>\n
One Hyde Park and The Knightsbridge Apartments \u2013 where huge flats have recently sold for \u00a318 million and \u00a311 million respectively \u2013 are hailed as the bullet-proof benchmarks for top-notch security.<\/p>\n
\u201cBiometric entry systems and hidden entrances that allow residents to come and go unseen give buyers the kind of reassurance they want,\u201d says Harrods Estates director Shaun Drummond.<\/p>\n
The personnel<\/p>\n
And while the owners may rarely be in residence, there are year-round live-in staff. \u201cNo amount of technology\u201d, says Joanna Cocking, head of Hamptons Private Office, \u201ccan replace a human monitoring system. The most valued layer of protection is trusted, long-standing staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a growing number of cases, there will be some lone teenagers in residence too, bringing extra security problems. \u201cThe non-dom exodus has split households\u2019 living locations, and often the children are left in London for education. That has heightened the requirement for top-level close-protection security,\u201d says Harry Dawes, founder of the prime buying agency Dawes London.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe nannies and children will have one security detail, while the parents have individual protection. Annexed accommodation for security and household staff is a key requirement on clients\u2019 briefs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ex-military or special forces professionals can be found guarding huge houses all over London \u2013 and patrolling certain Kensington streets, where they will walk residents to their doors in safety. Expect to pay about \u00a33,500 a week for their services, reports Simmi Sangha at Eccord, a super-prime management company in London. \u201cBut that cost is not ridiculous when weighed against the value of the property, its contents and, crucially, the peace of mind it brings,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n
On arguably the best street in nearby St John\u2019s Wood, protection comes with sartorial style too. At 52 Avenue Road \u2013 a new development of 12 stucco villas priced from \u00a322 million and inspired by John Nash\u2019s Regent\u2019s Park mansions \u2013 ex-British Army Gurkhas will be on guard, bedecked in bespoke uniforms.<\/p>\n
The Gurkhas form what Jon O\u2019Brien, founder of the project\u2019s developers, Domvs London, calls \u201cthe frontline physical protection layer\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In London\u2019s billionaires\u2019 rows \u2013 especially those of the notorious lights-out variety, with houses whose owners rarely set…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":610972,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[84,4176,388,207902,207901,4174,4175,5438,56,43259,54,55,157732],"class_list":["post-610971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-business","tag-finance","tag-london","tag-luxury-magazine","tag-luxury-property-and-architecture","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-standard","tag-uk","tag-uk-property","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-us-content"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=610971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610971\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/610972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=610971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=610971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=610971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}