MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Wife of Moscow mayor buys £ 48 m London mansion

Elena Baturina bought Witanhurst house

Witanhurst, a 90-room Grade-II Queen Anne listed mansion in Highgate, sold for £23 million last year, only to see its value soar 56% in the last 12 months despite worries of falling house prices.

The property, which featured in the BBC's Fame Academy, was bought by Elena Baturina, the richest woman in Russia. It is the latest in a string of investment by the wife of the Mayor of Moscow's Inteco company. No work has been done on the property since it was bought by property developer Marcus Cooper last summer. It has been allowed to fall into a poor condition with holes in the ceiling and crumbling plaster work. Witanhurst boasts 90 rooms spread across three floors, including 25 bedrooms. It also has a 70ft ballroom, gym, library and stunning wood-paneled hall. The main house which dates back to the early 18th century has starred in many period dramas including Nicholas Nickleby and Tipping the Velvet. It was designed for wealthy soap magnate Sir Arthur Crosfield and took seven years to build, from 1913 till 1920. It is set within five and a half acres in a conservation area on Highgate West Hill, and includes three separate gatehouses. Baturina, the 45-year-old second wife of Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, has amassed billions of dollars through her construction company Inteco, formed in 1991. Forbes magazine estimates her wealth at 4.2 billion US dollars. She has repeatedly faced accusations of using her husband's position to secure lucrative construction contracts, and has taken several newspapers and journalists to court over corruption allegations, winning every case so far. The high price paid by Baturina for the property comes despite a 9% decline in average UK house prices over the past year, and expectations that prices will continue to fall.