An £11.5 million house in Mayfair that once belonged to the Earls of Crawford sold to a buyer from the USA.
Gary Hersham, founding director of Beauchamp Estates, said the deal heralded "a fantastic start to the year" and showed that the top end of the London market was still dominated by wealthy international buyers.
“Beauchamp Estates is delighted to have sealed the first ultra-prime deal in Mayfair of 2024, with the landmark sale of this spectacular three-bedroom duplex residence," said Mr Hersham.
"The American buyer entrusted Beauchamp Estates to find them their ultimate Mayfair home, with the neighbourhood continuing to be the most sought-after address for wealthy home buyers from across the globe in search of a prime central London retreat."
The market for London's most expensive homes, already battered by Brexit, was particularly sluggish last year as the fall-out from the 2022 mini budget made mortgages for multi-million pound homes painful for everyone, including the super rich.
Mega-mansions across the capital's most sought-after areas slashed millions off their asking prices in order to tempt buyers.
But by the end of 2023 the market began to move again, and the year closed out with a deal struck on one of London's most expensive homes, as billionaire Adar Poonawalla made moves to acquire Aberconway House in Mayfair for £138 million.
Beauchamp Estates reported it sold £80 million of super prime properties in the area in the final months of 2023, including a £30.45 million penthouse on Brook Street.
The market has been dominated by buyers from America, the Middle East or China, said the estate agents, who were all keen to find homes that offered a high level of privacy and personal security.
Built at the turn of the last century in 1901, the Grade II-listed property on Charles Street originally belonged to the Lindsay family, also known as the Earls of Crawford.
James Lindsay, the 26th Earl of Crawford, was a keen astronomer and used the large courtyard garden as an observatory. As well as being elected president of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1878, Crawford was a keen collector of rare books and stamps, including books about stamps.
When he died in 1913, the house on Charles Street was occupied by the family of his late son Major Robert Hamilton Lindsay, whose wife Mary Lindsay was the daughter to Australian tycoon Sir William Clarke.
After a stint as a military hospital during the First World War, Mary Lindsay moved to Australia in 1929 and Charles Street was split into six apartments.
The apartment that has just sold is on the ground floor and contains the original observatory garden, along with a double-height atrium
Having been recently renovated, Beauchamp Estates said it was an excellent fit for the American buyer, who was looking for a turn-key property.
House prices were down across London last year, but prime central locations including Mayfair saw the smallest dip of just 0.8 per cent said Savills, thanks to uber wealthy cash buyers who didn't need to borrow at the new higher interest rates.
Beauchamp Estates said its own wealth survey forecasts that homes of £15 million could rise by up to two per cent in value over 2024.
A 10 per cent rise in property deals with billionaires is also expected, they said.
