The house is estimated to be worth 250million after refurbishments. Magazine UK 23.8K subscribers Subscribe 52K views 1 year ago Billionaire'a 250 Get the Robb Report newsletter for similar stories delivered straight to your inbox. With his brother Brian, in 1987 John registered Midland Mobile Phones as a mobile phone wholesaler taking 26 Motorola mobiles at 1,350 each. His first jobs were, variously, sweeping a pottery floor, manhandling steel ingots in a mill, and working as a nightclub bouncer. John described the room as a triple threat - "very atmospheric, very comfortable and very luxurious". Rufus's case is much worse. John Caudwell's main residence is a 12-bedroom country house in Staffordshire and, along with other homes around the world, he also owns a 73-metre yacht which he bought at auction for the bargain price of 35 million. But one of John's favourite features of the house is the car stacker lift, which is visible from within the house through strong glass, keeping his vintage motors on ]. Some years ago, Harvard psychologists concluded that our brains are designed to stay at a "stable point" of happiness and the intensity of our emotional response to change, whether for good or bad, is less than we think it will be. This enables us to personalise our content for you, greet you by name and remember your preferences (for example, your choice of language or region). Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations with other readers. Magazine OK! At the heart of the programme is the intriguing character of Caudwell himself a tough taskmaster, but also a committed philanthropist. The house is owned by John Caudwell Speaking about the new series, executive producer Dan Barraclough said: "This incredible access gives us a glimpse Courtesy of Channel 4. It's just an instinct, I know that's the way to do it.". "And they went for it," he says, with some relish. Billionaire businessman John Caudwell has given TV viewers a glimpse inside his very own yacht for a new documentary. From the glamour of the Cte dAzur to the refined tree-lined streets of Mayfair, the Caudwell style combines the best in global design and craftsmanship. The master bedroom suite has a huge crystal light finished with a gold leaf trim, plus an emperor-sized bed. It's just an instinct, I know that's the way to do it." To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. account. Subscribe to RR1 Live+ for exclusive virtual events all year long (at least 1 per month), conversations with Robb Report editors, special perks, and more. Read our, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}. There is even a 500,000 car stacking device that can take eight cars from street level to storage at the press of a button., plus an indoor pool with a volcanic lava installation. On installation, the builders reveal the steel frame alone cost 500,000 and the room for error is just 10 millimetres on either side, meaning if it doesn't fit it would have to be returned to the manufacturers in Turkey. "A big increase from the 10[million] I originally conceived, somewhat naively," he adds. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. To help ensure your car lift installation job is a smooth, and hassle-free process, we will pair you with local Arizona professionals who are qualified and experienced with car lift installation and similar services. The next year he was taken on by the Michelin Tyre Company as an apprentice engineer, and he stayed 10 years, until 1980, though that didn't stop the hyperactive Mr Caudwell from setting up three businesses on the side. The narrator assured us that Johns motivation to spend so much on the house is in part to attract a better quality of guest to his yearly charity ball, but the charity itself states that the ball brought in 1.5m in donations in 2018. Julie Neville shares an exclusive access-all-areas tour of her incredible family home, Gogglebox stars Mary and Giles share shocking revelation about Wiltshire home amid relocation reports. Webphoenix for sale "car lift" - craigslist. "We expect to double our turnover in the next two years," he says. A stuffy old bloke wearing pin-striped trousers looked me up and down as though I had something rather unpleasant on my shoes. And, to be fair, Persson, who is no fool, readily admits his plight is unlikely to win him much sympathy. A new courtyard was created and incorporates a concealed eight-car stacking system which sits between the two buildings. "The budget has always been irritating, because the budget went up and up and up and we got to this huge budget of where we are now which is over 65 million," says John. Caudwell has good reason to feel this way. all. He purchased the property for 87million, but it is estimated to be worth over twice the amount after the new renovations have been completed. "I spotted the opportunity that as a small dealer I could buy all the stock I wanted from Motorola, but it was at a high price," he says. "Last weekend was pretty tiring," he says. TAKE a look inside John Caudwell's extravagant mansion that's Britain's most expensive home. Interiors were designed by Athens and London-based Sissy Feida and include a 13-metre crystal floor-to-ceiling hanging chandelier in the grand hall. He also started a mobile phone repair centre on his premises, with the manufacturers' blessing. he renovation of an extraordinary home carved out of two mega mansions in the heart of Mayfair has been featured in a one-off documentary, Britains Most "That taught me a lot. This Bold, Glitzy Apartment in Dublin Is an Entertainers Dream. The group's 1999 turnover was 596m, up from 160m in 1996. "My first thoughts were that there were big margins in this business, but very low volumes, and the volumes would go up and the margins would come down. Overall 20,000 sheets of gold leaf are used in the home, at a cost of 28,000. He acquired the site in 2012 and, after several years in the planning stage, a three-year build phase is finally set to begin this year. A gilded parlor with soaring ceilings. He owns a white 200,000 Bentley, but most days he drives a Toyota sports car. The expansive gym includes state of the art equipment. Just 13 years ago, John Caudwell was a used-car dealer, working out of small premises in the decayed industrial landscape of Stoke-on-Trent. "All of a sudden, the phone manager left and the key car salesmen found other jobs, so I had to restructure the business," he says. "I would knock on those doors until I'd been to every door in the neighbourhood. WebIt is 6am, and John Caudwell is on his racing bicycle, speeding along the Staffordshire byways. If it's caught early itcan be cured by antibiotics, but all too often it isn't: a friend of mine in Scotland still suffers aches and pains from it because doctors were too slow to diagnose the problem. Five crystal chandeliers stretch up over four floors to transform the staircases. The renovation of an extraordinary home carved out of two mega mansions in the heart of Mayfair is to be featured in a one-off documentary on Channel 4 tonight. "They'd say, 'Ooh yeah, that's gorgeous, how much is that?'" The two ventures that most excite Mr Caudwell now are 4U Net, the free internet service, and E.Commercell, a radical system his technicians have developed to allow recharging of airtime on prepaid mobiles by using a swipe card. John, aged 68, said: "It was incredibly ostentatious but it had some phenomenal features so I bought it. Phones 4u founder John Caudwell'snew-look Mayfair home has London's largestprivate ballroomafter Buckingham Palace. "They were still as big as bricks, and very much a specialist, marginal tool," he says. Far from taking away my ability to give to charity, it increases it because it has increased my wealth significantly. Designers Adam Architecture were briefed to come up with a traditionally British house that might be mistaken for having been there 200 years. It features a nightclub, games room and a car stacker - which which can summon any of John's impressive car collection at the touch of a button. Even his girlfriend has left him for someone more normal. "That business taught me about the ruthless manipulation of large corporates," he says. Mayfair is one of London s priciest neighborhoods; for decades, its been an ultra-exclusive enclave of wealthy Arab oil tycoons and celebrity-laden nightclubs. And oh, what a journey it was. Obstacles in his path included an incorrectly installed lava wall and a 500,000 underground car park frame, which was the wrong size by 10mm. The campaign had only modest success and fizzled out with the Rover sale this month. Nor do the cuts seem to be biting everywhere. "The big service providers, on the other hand, couldn't get enough stock, because Motorola were supplying people like us because we paid them more for the phones. I told them: 'I've got some really good products here, I'm selling them for charity, it's for the blind, but forget that because they're made from sandalwood, really good products at a really good price'. I'd only done it once in real life', Lizzy Caplan: 'There's so much dark, f***ed-up, wild shit that comes with motherhood', Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story has more to say about Meghan Markle than any stuffy doc, Jerry Springer apologised for ruining the culture. I replied: Expensive', which was true as they were a pair of black leather trainers from Boss costing me the thick end of 125. There is also a three-bedroom, three-bathroom staff quarters. I was only looking for a little pad in London! A birthday dinner Caudwell wanted to hold. These allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. In the early Nineties, he developed his strategy of wanting to be in "every single aspect of mobile telephones that it was possible to get into". John Caudwell: a billionaire on a budget The charity-focused tycoon is camping out in a mansion, upset by the plight of his old company John Caudwell at his Celebrity neighbours have included heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua, while nearby residents have included singers Rihanna and Robbie Williams, as well as acting stars Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory. Interiors were designed by Athens and London-based Sissy Feida and include a 13-metre crystal floor-to-ceiling hanging chandelier in the grand hall. I bought the cheapest Amstrad computer there was, had a girl sitting next to me loading the names of all the phone dealers in the country and started prospecting them on the phone and started selling them wholesale phones.". This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A Chinese owner, who paid 40 million for a plot in Avenue Road two years ago, is building an even bigger 30,000 sq ft house that could be worth close to 100 million when it is finished. The 250million property boasts eight floors, 15 bedrooms, and a 120-capacity ballroom, which is rumoured to be the largest privately-owned hall in the capital. "Yes, that'd be right," he replies with a smile. But I always do it.". "As the years passed and I was nine, 10, 11 years old it became obvious I was going to start up a business of some sort," he says. Since I spend all day wandering around London I accurately responded: I would describe them as comfortable.' "It really is a fantastic room because you get amazing sound quality, amazing visual quality," John explained. ft. mega-manse was purchased in 2012 for about $100 million. Nobody knew about mobiles then, there was hardly any demand, and anyway nobody would come to a car salesman to buy a phone." One quickly gets the impression that Mr Caudwell is utterly, unstoppably determined in everything he sets out to do. For other inquiries, Contact Us. The luxury pad, located in London's Mayfair, is a billionaire's paradise with its own bar and cinema. * Connect with the best local, qualified and experienced professional near you John Caudwell is a striking man, as fit as you'd expect for someone who cycles up to 100 miles a day, every day, in all weathers. In the basement, on the wall behind a 40-foot swimming pool, is a spectacular volcanic lava installation which cost 200,000. An underground games room overlooks the pool. I'm confident we will be one of the biggest mobile telecommunications companies in the world. He shakes his head. ", Britains Most Expensive Home: Building for a Billionaire aired on Channel 4 at 9pm on 5 February. "I was looking for anything I deemed 'good value', regardless of size or price," says John during the programme. The huge property has a ballroom, 15 bedrooms and eight floors, spanning 43,000 sq feet. As 70% of that is going to charity it swells my ability to give during and after my lifetime.. Inside the St John's Wood mega mansion and other super-glam homes, Jaw dropping: the crystal chandelier in the grand hall, Vast: a formaldrawing and dining room has French doors leading to gardens and a sunken courtyard, You must be at least 18 years old to create an account, Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number, I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from Evening Standard. READ:Chrissy Teigen shows off her super-tidy pantry and even Marie Kondo is impressed! The first floor has three bedroom suites, including a master bedroom with walk-in dressing room, and two separate marble bathrooms. With the work now finished, it is estimated to be worth around 250 million. "I've got this spectacularly perfect house, if someone spills some red wine on the carpet I'm going to just look away," says John. One of the reasons for Mr Caudwell's relative obscurity in the millionaires' club may be that Phones 4U, the group's most public face, is a relatively small retailer, with around 130 shops. There's no ownership issue. It really has been a labor of love, Cauldwell said. Hydraulic car lift. During the renovation, work on the swimming pool ground to a halt when a malfunction with the lighting meant the team had to lift the panel off the wall. Yet his initial masterplan for life took a long time to start working. no favorites. I just thought how magnificent it would be for gala evenings, Caudwell toldThe Timesof London about the ballroom. The bed in the master suite is an "emperor-size bed" measuring two metres by two metres, which means you can "starfish and you don't touch the person next to you," she says. "Sometimes," he says, "when I look out of the window in winter and it's dark and two degrees above freezing and sleeting, I hesitate. Known as Mayfair house, Caudwells roughly 43,000 sq. We use cookies to give you the best online experience. He and some friends cycled from Stoke, down the length of Wales, to Oxford and back to Stoke, a distance of 440 miles along winding hill roads in three days. The philanthropist dad-of-six - who sold Phones4u in 2006 for just under 1.5 billion - had already splashed out 87 million on buying Ancaster House, and the neighbouring property from Prince Jefri Bolkiah, the brother of the Sultan of Brunei. The extensive renovations of the mansion include a volcano wall, a swimming pool and staircases of solid white marble that connect to each of the eight floors. He says relationships between his companies are often worse than external relations with, ostensibly, rival companies, which he says is "very healthy", adding: "A protected practice of any sort can't win. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations. There are stunning embroidered chairs to relax in while enjoying a film - perfectly situated in close proximity to the popcorn machine. Mr Caudwell is married, with three children aged 20, 12 and five, and he is the local co-ordinator for the NSPCC and the founder of a children's charity. Every time I went back to the minibus I had sold my entire allocation, for 5, and I got 1 commission. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, John Caudwell: The millionaire who finally found his calling in mobile, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Get up to 10% off using the Booking.com app, 50 off over 650 using this Expedia discount code, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected product with this eBay voucher code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK April 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this April, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. On the inside I felt the same especially about the staff. Like this article? Includes access to the digital magazine. The documentary will take a look at the unique engineering tasks and challenges to create a subterranean basement that joins two mansions together, a mechanical car stacker that can take eight cars from street level to storage with ease, a pool with a bespoke installation designed to look like lava and even a dining room featuring a real river - complete with live fish. CL. He then knocked them into one giant 43,000 square-foot mansion - the size of Westminster Cathedral or 55 average London flats - before embarking on the revamp. So we've got to give them fixed wire propositions, mobile phone propositions, pay-TV propositions, internet propositions, so they get a complete package from us for all they need, and we'll send them one bill, which makes them happier and cuts our administration costs. "I opened a shop so we could retail them, did accessories, and basically, every opportunity within the mobile phone business we took.". Included in the grand scheme is a planned basement nightclub with a mirrored dancefloor, five kitchens, a 120-capacity ballroom and pieces of art that cost more than 300,000. John's impressive refurbishment is also for the sake of his charity, Caudwell Children. The Phones 4 U founder knocked together two mansions to create his dream home, which is the average size of 55 London flats and more than twice the size of the Royal Albert Hall. The property was bought in 2012 by businessman John Caudwell, 67, who sold his Phones 4u chain for just under 1.5 billion in 2006. MSMR successfully secured planning consent for the sensitive redevelopment of two adjoining listed buildings located in the Mayfair Conservation Area. 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Both buildings form a single site and are linked at the basement level. "It was a bit of a slow start. "The site was just unbelievable," the dad-of-six said. "When he was ten, [he] started developing what appeared to be mental problems panic attacks, serious agoraphobia and a terror of sickness," says his father. He asked to be accredited as a dealer straightaway. Please note you may be matched to one of our trusted partners such as CraftJack, Angi or Networx. Today they operate as entirely separate enterprises with no horizontal links or mutually favourable agreements. That way, he says: "I'd find out which was the best way to end up making money. From the exterior, it looks similar to the many Middle Eastern banks and embassies that surround it; inside, however, its a theme park of opulence. 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The Phones4U founder - who grew up in Shelton - has created Britain's most expensive home in Mayfair - and you can see it on TV tonight, Want Stoke-on-Trent news emailed to you direct from our journalists? The 12 seat cinema room is fully equipped with bar and seating area. "After that I pulled off one deal after another. Every morning, he clocks up 40 miles, returns to his rural manor house, then drives to his office in Stoke-on-Trent. The Sun previously revealed the inside some of Britain's most expensive homes, including a Hollywood-style mansion in Hampstead. 2021 Associated Newspapers Limited. The luxury property's more informal sitting room. Beside the nightclub with the unique mirrored floor sits a games room with a faux rose-covered ceiling. Featuring a variety of single post, 2-post, and 4-post car The Caudwell companies - 20:20, Dextra, 4U, MPRC, Singlepoint, Phones 4U, E.Commercell, 4U Net and Calls 4U - are expanding rapidly within Britain and most of them are setting up overseas as well. Courtesy of Channel 4. The 25,000 sq ft neo-classical residence in Avenue Road was built on a plot bought for 14 million in 2013 by Greek property developer George Dragoumanos. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. It is often his preferred spot to host his charity events for his foundation, Caudwell Children, which supports disabled children and their families. READ:Julie Neville shares an exclusive access-all-areas tour of her incredible family home, Speaking about the new series, executive producer Dan Barraclough said: "This incredible access gives us a glimpse into the world of the truly mega wealthy, where every whim can be realised, but where things can still go wrong, as on any building site. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. The single window has a view over a car park and wasteland near a busy roundabout. So I ended up servicing phones, repairing phones, wholesaling phones without airtime and wholesaling them with airtime as brokers for airtime companies. Earn nearly 5% on one-year fixed savings accounts. There's also a secure underground garage with a hydraulic car lift with space for up to four cars. The first was mail-order, selling motorcyle clothing from home. On 15 March, he launched 4U Net, a separate company which was Britain's first totally free internet service. John joked: "Who else has a room like this? There's also a sauna for relaxing those tired muscles. Sylvester Stallone Snaps Up a $35 Million Palm Beach Estate, Marc Anthony Lists His Massive Waterfront Florida Mansion for $27 Million, Tommy Hilfiger Lists His Regal Connecticut Estate for $47.5 Million, From Bulgari to Porsche: Branded Residences Are Flooding the Prime Marketand Selling. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, It is 6am, and John Caudwell is on his racing bicycle, speeding along the Staffordshire byways. He left school at 16, three months into A-levels in maths, physics and chemistry. After a few years of throwing lavish parties, Caudwell recentlyembarked on an epic-scale renovation that reportedly ran him an astonishing $85 million. "So I managed to talk some big retailers into buying the product from me, on the basis that most of the profit in those days was in selling the airtime, not how much you managed to buy the phone for. "With a saturated market it's all about value and customer loyalty, and this way I'll gain loyalty for the other businesses. And there's the helicopter. Pregnant women fighting for their lives at Royal Stoke after catching covid, Mum wallowing in self pity branded 'selfish, self-centred and ignorant', Stoke-on-Trent's bin men 'struggling' to cope as Covid decimates crews, Suicide of woman 'tormented by neighbours' sees coroner slam police, Firefighter back at work a year after losing leg in motorbike crash, Not signed up to the newsletter? On the third floor, a former conservatory is a Thai-style dining room with a 15-foot preserved cherry tree and silk pink blossom hanging over the table. His pre-tax profits last year in this low margin business came in at 14.3m. Try it outhere. John Caudwell is one of Britain's most successful businessmen, having sold his company, Phones4U, back in 2006 for an incredible 1.5billion. And in another tweet:"Hanging out in Ibiza with famous friends and partying with famous people, able to do whatever I want, andI've never felt more isolated.". This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. "We don't realise how quickly we will adapt to a pleasurable event and make it the backdrop of our lives," says one of the psychologists. Beside the nightclub with the unique mirrored floor sits a games room with a faux rose-covered ceiling. The Brummy-billionaire told OK Magazine he stripped the majority of the mansion back to basics, as he found the decor was "ostentatious". TAKE a look inside John Caudwell's extravagant mansion that's Britain's most expensive home. The businessman even has a lavish cinema room that has been kitted out with all the amenities for a movie night. From here, guests can see the vintage and luxury cars John chooses to display in his car stacker storage. Ironically, the 62-year-old set up a charity tohelp sick and disabled children 15 yearsago, often funding specialist treatment that is beyond NHS budgets.

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