Latest news with #Barnet
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'Within minutes the whole house was engulfed in flames': Neighbours reveal fire-ravaged £4.5m Grade II-Listed Millionaires' Row mansion was being renovated into dream family home
A fire-ravaged £4.5million Georgian mansion on Millionaires' Row was being transformed into a dream family home, neighbours have revealed. Grade II-listed Hollybush House, in Barnet, was destroyed after a fire tore through the nine-bed home in a matter of minutes in the early hours of Monday morning. Planning documents submitted to Barnet council show it was currently undergoing extensive renovations to restore the building. Neighbours today said the owners had ploughed in thousands of pounds to carry out the works, which included repairing the roof and laying stone flooring in the hallway. They also wanted to reopen a historic fireplace in the first floor master bedroom. The extensive building work had been ongoing for the last 18 months with locals saying it was nearing completion before this morning's horror blaze. The applicant for the works is Robert and Helen Speroni with the former appearing to be the managing director of £44million turnover building products firm Radmat. A Helen Speroni is also listed on Companies House as a director, as well as being named as the chair of trustees at independent Oxfordshire school Amici Bruerni, which charges £15,000 a term in boarding fees. The 18th century mansion was previously owned by Janet Fernau who founded charity Haemochromatosis UK in 1990 and was appointed an MBE for her services to healthcare. Grade II-listed Hollybush House, in Barnet, was destroyed after a fire tore through the nine-bed home in a matter of minutes in the early hours of Monday morning She died in 2023, just three years after selling the property in a multi-million-pound deal. An eyewitness who alerted firefighters to the inferno told MailOnline that he believed the fire had started in the roof before it spread through the building in less than half an hour. 'I called the fire brigade and they got here pretty quickly,' he said. 'Flames had engulfed the house within about 20 minutes, it all happened quite quickly. And obviously it's all timber inside so that's why they're spraying it with so much water now. 'The fire brigade turned up with eight to ten fire trucks but they struggled to find the hydrant. They spent a lot of time protecting the gentleman's house next door which is also a listed property. They done that quite successfully. 'At about 4am it was still ongoing and the house was completely destroyed. 'There was blue and green flames at one point last night so we thought it was gas but it didn't explode in the end. 'It started in the roof I think. In the space of about 20 minutes the whole house was engulfed in flames' The London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines had swarmed the scene with about 70 firefighters working to extinguish the inferno Neighbours who have lived in the area for the last two decades told MailOnline: 'There was no one living there. It wasn't going to be rented, it was being done up as a family home for them. 'They've spent thousands on it, let's just hope they have good insurance.' Another neighbour who has lived here for 10 years said: 'I know him [the owner], he's a popular guy. Haven't seen him in a while though. Think he's been renting nearby.' Steve Clarke, 60, told The Telegraph the building was a 'complete house' with it 'close to being ready'. 'When I heard about it this morning, I didn't think it would look like that, you can see it's got no roof or windows,' he said. Teacher Jacqui Beaumont, in her 60s, who lives nearby, said: 'It would have been an utterly magnificent house with a view across this beautiful green space that we're very lucky to enjoy here in Barnet. 'It looked pristine, but now it's been ruined.' More than 70 firefighters battled through the night to save as much of Hollybush House as they could. But images posted from the scene showed much of the sprawling nine-bed home is now gone. Fire crews rushed to the Hadley Green Road, which is home to scores of detached houses with seven-figure price tags, around 1am. The London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines had swarmed the scene with about 70 firefighters working to extinguish the inferno. Crews were still trying to get the blaze, which had engulfed much of the house, under control several hours later. The cause of the fire is unknown and emergency services are yet to comment on whether anyone has been injured. London Fire Brigade said 'Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are tackling a fire at a house on Hadley Green Road in Barnet. 'The whole of the roof, as well as most of the first floor and half of the ground floor of the property are alight. 'The Brigade's Control Officers took the first of seven calls to the fire at 0110 and mobilised crews from Southgate, Barnet, Finchley and surrounding fire stations to the scene. 'The cause of the fire is not known at this time.' Hollybush House was built in the late 1700s and boasts six bedrooms in the main home - one with its own roof garden - and three more in an attached 'cottage'. Documents show the main building has a floor-space stretching to 6,300 sq ft with offices, the cottage and outbuildings adding a further 3,000 sq ft. The main building boasted a drawing room, library, kitchen, dining room, sitting room and art room, with an adjoining garage. It is set in two-and-a-quarter acres of grounds, which include a heated outdoor swimming pool, a kitchen garden, several terraces and a rose garden, among others. Homes on Hadley Green Road are known to go for millions of pounds, with current listings revealing one of the houses sold for £4.7m - in 2014. When Hollybush House was last listed, the asking price was not made public.
The Independent
7 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Dramatic fire destroys £4.5m Grade II-listed mansion in north London
A Grade II-listed 18th century mansion has been destroyed after a huge fire ripped through it overnight. Seventy firefighters rushed to tackle the blaze at the £4.5m nine-bedroom Georgian home, known as Hollybush House, in Barnet, north London, at around 1am on Monday. The building collapsed after the whole roof, as well as the first floor and ground floor, caught fire, the London Fire Brigade said. The property was undergoing refurbishment after it was bought in 2020. There were no reports of any injuries while the cause of the blaze is under investigation. Were you affected by the fire? Contact Ten fire engines were at the site on Monday morning, with firefighters still using water to put out the blaze as smoke billowed over the 2.2-acre site. Hollybush House was built in the 1790 and sprawls over two acres of land including an attached cottage, according to planning documents. The main building includes seven reception rooms and six offices, according to estate agents. It also has a pond and a large, heated swimming pool. It also had a drawing room, library, kitchen, dining room, sitting room and art room, with an adjoining garage, estate agents added. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: 'Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a fire at a house on Hadley Green Road in Barnet. 'The entire roof, as well as the first and ground floors of a detached house undergoing refurbishment were alight. The structure subsequently suffered a partial collapse. 'There are no reports of any injuries. One of the brigade's 32-metre turntable ladders was used at the scene as a water tower to tackle the fire from above. 'Control officers took the first of eight calls to the fire at 1.10am and mobilised crews from Southgate, Barnet, Finchley and surrounding fire stations to the scene. 'The fire was under control by 4.48am but crews remain on scene this morning damping down hot spots. The cause of the fire is under investigation.'
Telegraph
7 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Fire erupts at north London mansion
A fire has erupted at a mansion in north London. Around 70 firefighters have been tackling the blaze in Hadley Green Road, Barnet, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said. The property is reported to be a historic Grade II-listed Georgian mansion. According to the LFB, the entire roof, as well as the first and ground floors of the property undergoing refurbishment, were alight. The structure has also suffered a partial collapse.
The Sun
7 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Huge fire rips through nine-bed mansion on millionaire's row reducing home to ashes in Bank Holiday horror
A MANSION on London's luxurious Millionaires' Row has burned to the ground in a horror blaze. Firefighters battled the flames engulfing Hollybush House in Barnet, north London, after the alarm was raised in the early hours of this morning. 2 Fire tore through the nine-bedroom 18th Century Grade II-listed mansion at around 1am. The London Fire Brigade sent 10 fire engines and more than 70 firefighters to tackle the raging inferno. It took several hours before the fire was brought under control. The cause of the fire is still unknown and it has not been confirmed whether anyone was injured. London Fire Brigade said: "Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are tackling a fire at a house on Hadley Green Road in Barnet. "The whole of the roof, as well as most of the first floor and half of the ground floor of the property are alight. "The Brigade's Control Officers took the first of seven calls to the fire at 0110 and mobilised crews from Southgate, Barnet, Finchley and surrounding fire stations to the scene. "The cause of the fire is not known at this time." Hollybush House was built in the late 1700s and sprawls across 9,300 sq ft, including an attached cottage, on just over two acres of land. The main building consists of a drawing room, library, kitchen, dining room, sitting room, art room, and six bedrooms. Hadley Green Road has been dubbed as Millionaires' Row because properties are known to go for seven figure price tags. 2 is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Firefighters battling blaze as it destroys home on London's 'millionaires row'
Dozens of firefighters are battling a blaze on one of North London 's plushest roads after an inferno broke out in the early hours of Monday. Fire crews rushed to the Hadley Green Road, which is home to scores of detached houses with seven-figure price tags, around 1am. The London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines had swarmed the scene with about 70 firefighters working to extinguish the inferno. Crews were still trying to get the blaze, which had engulfed much of the house, under control more than an hour later. The cause of the fire is unknown and emergency services are yet to comment on whether anyone was home at the time or if there are any reported injuries. London Fire Brigade said: 'Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are tackling a fire at a house on Hadley Green Road in Barnet. 'The whole of the roof, as well as most of the first floor and half of the ground floor of the property are alight. 'The Brigade's Control Officers took the first of seven calls to the fire at 0110 and mobilised crews from Southgate, Barnet, Finchley and surrounding fire stations to the scene. 'The cause of the fire is not known at this time.' Homes on Hadley Green Road are known to go for millions of pounds, with current listings revealing one of the houses sold for £4.7m - in 2014.
