The billionaire brothers have sealed a deal to buy a 100-year lease on the piece of central London real estate, which is part of the Queen’s £6 billion property portfolio.
LONDON: An Indian interior designer has been chosen to convert one of the Queen’s properties - the former head office of the Crown Estate — into a £58-million home with a ‘traditional Indian feel’ for the Hindujas.
The billionaire brothers Srichand and Gopichand have sealed a deal to buy a 100-year lease on the piece of central London real estate, which is part of the Queen’s £6 billion property portfolio.
The property, to be renovated at an additional cost of £50 million, will accommodate 38 members of the Hindujas’ extended family.
Living by the adage that ‘the family that eats together stays together’, the house will have a single kitchen and dining room.
“The Indian joint family has pluses and minuses. If it works, it’s heaven. If not, it can be hell,” said a Hinduja family member.
Carlton House Terrace, numbers 13 to 16, is a stone’s throw from both Buckingham Palace and Downing Street and a fantastic trophy address for the Hindujas. Their wealth is estimated at £3.6 billion, making them the second richest Indian family in Britain after the Mittals.
Lakshmi Mittal bought his home in Kensington Palace Gardens for £70 million. After renovation, the Hinduja home, however, is likely to outstrip the value of the Mittal mansion. At 62,000 sq ft of living space, it will have 12,000 sq ft more area than the Mittals’ house.
The Hindujas will recruit a team of architects, contractors, and designers to convert the Crown Estate offices into one large mansion. As the building is a Grade I heritage structure, they are not allowed to change the exterior or any of the original historical features.
The new property will have 32 bedroom suites complete with dressing rooms and bathroom to house the families of the four Hinduja brothers, including Prakash and Ashok, who are based in India.
The conversion will include the addition of a Krishna temple, a swimming pool, a gym and a cinema in the basement. A ballroom and terrace are being planned to enable the billionaires to entertain their powerful friends.
It is estimated that it will take three years before the Hindujas can move into their new home.
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