London penthouse flat with a Spitfire fighter plane on the lawn could be yours for US$3 million
Three-bedroom 2,285-square-foot apartment spread over three floors of Bentley Priory – the RAF’s wartime command base during the Battle of Britain
Bentley Priory – steeped in more than 600 years of British history and surrounded by 57 acres (23 hectares) of manicured parkland – was once the royal residence of Dowager Queen Adelaide, consort of King William VI, and command headquarters of the Royal Air Force during the second world war.
Redeveloped a decade ago, the penthouse flat is up for sale for only the second time, at the asking price of £2.4 million (US$3 million).
The luxury penthouse is named the Dowding Suite after Sir Hugh Dowding, the chief air marshal who directed RAF operations from the location during the Battle of Britain in 1940.
(If you need to read up on your history, the Bentley Priory Museum – dedicated to the battle – occupies the ground and basement floors of the mansion.)
“Dowding had his operation room there and could stand on the terrace and see the planes coming back during battles,” Douglas Sleaper, listing agent at Savills, says of the Historic England-listed property.
Entered via the second floor of the renovated mansion/country house complex, the three-bedroom, three-bathroom, 2,285-square-foot (212 square-metre) apartment is arranged over three floors with the master suite occupying the top level.