Flat 24 that was an asylum AND a home to a Duran Duran star goes on sale

Flat 24 is the largest property within the historic Royal Victoria Patriotic Building in London’s Wandsworth Common
It was built in 1859 to house girls orphaned in the Crimean War and was later used to shelter wounded WWI soldiers
A member of Duran Duran lived in the property in 1981 – the same year they released their eponymous debut album

Jack Crone for MailOnline

Published:
20:37 GMT, 6 July 2015

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Updated:
21:22 GMT, 6 July 2015

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It was built to house girls orphaned in the Crimean War and its walls have seen everything from MI6 interrogations to Duran Duran jamming sessions.

Now Flat 24 – the largest property within London’s historic Grade II listed Royal Victoria Patriotic Building – is on the market for £3million.

The lavish home, which is said to be haunted, has four en-suite bedrooms, three bathrooms, a games room, a grand entrance hall and a private residents’ courtyard garden.

A recent chapter in its illustrious history saw it owned by a member of Duran Duran in 1981 – the same year they released their eponymous debut album and their single Girls on Film reached number five in the UK charts.

Lavish: Flat 24 – the largest property within London’s historic Grade II listed Royal Victoria Patriotic Building – is on the market for £3million

Spacious: The flat has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a games room, a grand entrance hall and a private residents’ courtyard garden

But long before pop stars existed, the house, located in Wandsworth Common, provided the stage for events more moving than any chart hit.

It was built in 1859 and named the Royal Victoria Patriotic School – an asylum for girls orphaned during the Crimean War – Queen Victoria having laid the foundation stone two years earlier.

The school was paid for using Prince Albert’s Royal Patriotic Fund and its said the orphans homed here lived in harsh conditions.

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In 1862, one of the girls, Charlotte Jane Bennette was burned to death while deliberately locked up in a bathroom – it is said that she still haunts the building.

Later during the First World War the building was requisitioned as a hospital to care for thousands of wounded servicemen.

Following the conflict, the building returned to being an orphanage until 1938, when the children were evacuated in anticipation of German bombing raids in the Second World War.

Fascinating history: The flat is part of the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, which was built in 1859 as an asylum for orphaned girls

Celebrity occupant: A recent chapter in the flat’s illustrious history saw it owned by a member of Duran Duran in 1981

In deep contrast to its previous use, the building became an MI6 clearing, detention and interrogation centre.

Interrogators, including ‘spy catcher’ Colonel Oreste Pinto, interviewed over 30,000 immigrants to the UK over a four year period.

It was reported that Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, who flew to Britain on a ‘peace mission’, was held and questioned there.

After the war the building became a teacher training college and in 1952 was bought by London County Council – five years later becoming Honeywell Secondary Mixed School.

In another twist of fate, the school failed, fell into disrepair and closed in 1974. The empty building soon attracted vandals and thieves, who ransacked the place and stole lead from the roof and water tanks.

The building was marked for demolition, but was instead given Grade II listed status after campaigning by the Victorian Society and Wandsworth Society.

Grade II listed: The property is located in Wandsworth Common and is said to be haunted following the death of a girl here in 1862

Grand interior: The £3million flat has a huge central living area and is located in Wandsworth Common, in south London

Shelter for wounded: During the First World War the building was requisitioned as a hospital to care for thousands of wounded sodliers

In 1980 the Greater London Council put the building up for sale and it was eventually sold for £1 to the company now called South of the Border Holdings, under the agreement that the fabric was fully restored.

Just before the formal handover, the main hall, which has an elaborate hammer beam ceiling, was destroyed by arson. It was fully restored from a photographic survey, which had been made two weeks earlier. Restoration of the building took six years.

In 1985 the Civic Trust awarded a commendation for the hall ceiling and in 1987 the restoration also won the Europa Nostra Order of Merit.

The building is now a mixed-use development, including studios and workshops, a French bar and restaurant ‘Le Gothique’ and 29 apartments.

The property is being sold on sellmyhome.co.uk, and the company offers a unique virtual tour of the building on their website.