In the spotlight: £30 million London mega mansion with wine vault and cinema is most viewed property listing of the year

Londoners may be feeling the pinch with rising living costs and stagnant wages but it doesn't stop them daydreaming when it comes to property.

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Prudence Ivey, Editor, Homes & Property @PrudenceIvey7 December 2018

A 10-bedroom mega-mansion with a basement cinema, a 1,250-bottle temperature-controlled wine vault and a private spa and leisure centre was the most viewed for sale home in London this year, despite a £29.95million price tag.

The sprawling 12,000sq ft home, on Upper Phillimore Gardens in Kensington attracted 83,000 views on Rightmove in 2017 making it the eighth most-viewed property in the UK.

The leading listings website said the five most viewed London homes last year had similar price tags suggesting most visitors were just window shopping.

Rightmove director Miles Shipside said: "This year's list of most popular homes shows just how much people love having a nosy around some of the most luxurious properties across the UK, some to dream about living there and others to perhaps look for design inspiration."

The second most-viewed property on the website in 2017 was a Westminster penthouse with 360 degree views of London.

The five-bedroom flat has one of the largest south-facing private terraces on the Thames, close to the Houses of Parliament and overlooking Vauxhall across the river.

Also popular was a £28.5 million Primrose Hill house with interiors designed by The Apprentice’s ‘Queen of Mean’, Linda Plant.

The eight-bedroom detached house’s extensive makeover includes a cinema, salon and separate staff quarters with Art Deco touches throughout.

A glam abode: this Primrose Hill home has had many a brush with celebrities both past and present

It was originally home to Viscountess Furness, who was Edward VIII’s mistress before he met Wallis Simpson, with the house used for secret assignations.

A feature swimming pool area is the main draw at the fourth most-viewed property, a five-bedroom house in South Kensington.

A mechanised rising floor can convert the swimming pool into a party room.

Cheap by comparison to the others, a £3.95 million mansion on a private, gated estate in south London’s commuter fringe completes London’s top five.

Keston Park has been home to the great and the good of Bromley, from Danny Dyer to Margaret Thatcher and Arsenal footballer Kenny Sansom.

“The house is only three years old, very high spec over 2,000sq ft with a swimming pool,” says David Hughes, branch manager at Alan de Maid, who is marketing the property.

“It’s also minutes from Biggin Hill airport so for the type of buyer who has a private jet or a helicopter, that’s a real bonus.”