This is what the Houses of Parliament would have looked like if the 1733 plan had been built. Ian Mansfield of the IanVisits blog has a great “Unbuilt London” post on the plans for the Georgian Houses of Parliament in the Palladian style. Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister (at a time when the term was still an insult), commissioned William Kent to design a grand “edifice that may be made use of for the Reception of the Parliament” to replace the cluster of medieval buildings Read more [...]

The William and Jane Levitt House in Macon has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Rehabilitation of the house, located at 3720 Overlook Drive, was approved for state tax incentives by the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The property is privately owned and not open to the public.The home is a contemporary-style ranch house. Built in 1952, its low form with wide overhanging eaves, U-shaped footprint, use of natural building materials, Read more [...]

The sharks can sense blood, and they’re circling. For anyone who has followed London’s luxury property market, news that the shorts are in to Berkeley Group should not come as a surprise.  Berkeley is the main listed player in the sector, and the hedge funds — Odey Asset Management, BlueMountain Capital Management and Anchorage Capital — are betting that top-end houses and apartments are heading for a crash.  The irony is that Berkeley is one of the more carefully managed builders. Read more [...]

Westhampnett is being used as the ‘dumping ground’ for Chichester. That’s is according to the village’s parish council chairman after a much opposed development of 300 homes was approved by Chichester District Council (CDC) planners last week.Cllr Bill Harding said: “We are sick and tired of our village being used as a dumping ground for whatever Chichester comes up with. First it was the Chichester city dump, then the travellers’ site, then 99 houses at Read more [...]

The billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Rams and his billionaire Walmart heiress wife have purchased the largest ranch in the United States.Stan Kroenke, who owns the Los Angeles Rams and is also the largest shareholder in the English football club Arsenal, closed a deal to buy the 535,000-acre W.T. Waggoner Ranch in Texas.Kroenke is married to Ann Walton whose father Bud was an early business partner in Walmart, which was founded by his brother Sam.The ranch had been listed at $725million, but Read more [...]

Deer grazing in Richmond Park, the Wimbledon tennis championships, Wimbledon Common, the City of London, and no hint of the hated Brown and Root tower. These are all things used to sell a six storey block of flats in Colliers Wood which outraged residents say is capitalising on its 'posh' neighbours and ignoring them. A controversial development being built in Colliers Wood High Street has attracted derision from the area’s residents who say £663,200 for a two bedroom Read more [...]

The former London home of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has gone up for sale – for an eye-watering £30 million. Number 73 Chester Square in Belgravia, London was the former Conservative leader’s home for 22 years until her death. After she died in April 2013, the six-bedroom property was purchased and refurbished by Leconfield Property Group. The result blends luxurious new additions while retaining some original features from Baroness Thatcher’s time in the house. These Read more [...]

1 Harmonious addition Joining two separate buildings seamlessly can be tricky and while part of the charm of period properties lies in their quirky jumble of rooms,that doesn't always suit modern day living. Designed with lightness and flair, a link extension solves this particular problem. ‘This style of extension unifies areas of the home, giving the illusion of a more open-plan space,' says Paul Schofield, Commercial Sales Manager,Apropos. ‘In this project the new dining space, Read more [...]

A bomb-proof, steel-lined door is just one of the features of Margaret Thatcher's former Belgravia home, now on the market for £30 million. Baroness Thatcher lived in Grade II listed house 73 Chester Square 1991 until her death in 2013, and while the house has been comprehensively renovated, several features from her time remain. Along with the security door, these include the inlaid '73' plaque in the doorstep, which she had installed in 1991, and the original security glass windows Read more [...]

Workers at the planned Wylfa Newydd power station on Anglesey could find themselves housed at two holiday parks on the Gwynedd coast. Horizon, the firm behind plans to build the £8bn nuclear plant , is hoping to provide accommodation for the thousands of workers needed for its construction. It is expected as many as 8,500 will be needed to build the station , with only around 2,300 based near enough to commute. The plant is not expected to start generating electricity until at least 2025, with Read more [...]