For the first time in 50 years, the North London home where former French President Charles de Gaulle fled following the Nazi takeover of France is up for sale at £15 million (about $20.8 million US).
De Gaulle was a French army general at the time he lived there with his family in the 1940s after France’s fall to Nazi Germany.
Known as the Frognal House, it was later acquired by the Sisters of St. Dorothy, who provided accommodations to international students while studying abroad, according to a press release.
Located in Hampstead, the mid-18th-century home spans more than 13,100 square feet and sits on .65 acres of land.
Vintage features include brown brick elevations, sash windows and cast-iron balconies.
Although it has been transformed into a convent over the years, Bargets Estate Agents revealed that it has “potential as a private family home or refurbishment for alternative uses” in a statement.
“We have been blessed with this incredibly unique opportunity,” Robert Hershkorn, associate director of Bargets, added. “Truly ‘Sui Generis’. Offering close proximity to Hampstead Heath and the local high street, Frognal House will undoubtedly attract a high amount of attention from a range of interested parties.”
De Gaulle, most known as a political reformer who led the Free France movement in an effort to reestablish democracy after WWII, lived in the home until late 1943 when he moved to Algiers, ending his exile on British soil. The move took place following a contentious relationship with Sir Winston Churchill.
While at the Hampstead house, his wife, Yvonne de Gaulle, reportedly kept chickens in the home’s garden so that her youngest daughter could have fresh eggs.
