£12m pad fit for a Bond villain (From Daily Echo)

£12m pad fit for a Bond villain

12:50pm Monday 28th May 2012 in New Forest By Matt Smith, Politics and business reporter

IT’S a fantasy house that could feature as the spectacular hideaway of a James Bond villain.

There may be no helipad, but the sweeping glass-fronted complex has its own 18-metre mooring pontoon.

And while there’s no underground bunker either, its former owner used to drive his Aston Martin up a ramp and straight into the first-floor parking bay and turning circle.

Now the home could be yours – for a cool £12 million.

Dubbed “Hollywood on the Beaulieu” by outraged neighbours when it was built in the 1960s, this New Forest property on the banks of the river still turns heads among passing river boaters.

And it’s not surprising.

It boasts a lake and 10 acres of gardens, while the flat-roofed villa could double as a modern art gallery.

The property was built in 1962 by architect Seymour Harris, who had earlier been commissioned to design a lakeside city for Emperor Haile Selassie.

That plan was abandoned but he went on to build this dream home, inspired by a traditional Ethiopian roundhouse, which he called Tukal.

He lived there for six years.

The most recent owner was Mike Browne, the founder of the Snow+Rock chain of ski and outdoor equipment shops, who has finished the house with a modern and minimalist feel.

The ground floor opens out into a huge gallery reception hall, with a breakfast bar and studio, and a swimming pool room with an exercise area.

There are also five bedrooms, with the master bedroom boasting a magnificent balcony.

The kitchen and dining room are upstairs along with a cinema and an impressive garden terrace overlooking the river.

Meanwhile, guests can enjoy a self-contained flat on the lower ground floor, with a further two bedrooms, a living room, games room and two storerooms.

The Bond-style Aston Martin ramp has gone – and so has the original pink marble and vertical aluminium fins of the exterior.

Nonetheless, property agents Knight Frank said they have already received a number of enquiries.