Tim Burton’s former Primrose Hill home hits the market for £20m

10 May 2021 | Updated on: 27 Sep 2022 |By Luxury London

Inspired by Pierre Chareau’s Maison de Verre in Paris, Eglon House is one of London’s most distinctive buildings

As one might expect from the man behind Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and The Corpse Bride, Tim Burton’s former London home is an eclectic Art Deco mansion with an interesting history. Carrying all the hallmarks of the director’s signature aesthetic, Eglon House is a dramatic architectural feat that stands out amongst Primrose Hill’s traditional Regency-style buildings. The unusual property was Burton’s home for three years while he filmed Disney’s Dumbo and is now up for sale, offering the chance to own one of west London’s most distinctive buildings.

Photography by Vartivar Photography
Photography by Tony Murray

Formerly a warehouse that produced shell casing during World War I, the site later became home to the Mayfair Recording Studios, where the likes of David Bowie, The Clash and Tina Turner made their hit records. In 2000, it was bought by an unnamed developer who enlisted Chassey Last Architects and Russell Sage Studio to embark on a six-year project, recreating architect Pierre Chareau’s Maison de Verre in Paris within a discreet gated mews in Primrose Hill. Translating to ‘House of Glass’, Maison de Verre was built in the late 1920s and pioneered a new style of architecture that combined residential and commercial spaces, juxtaposing industrial features with traditional home décor.

Eglon House’s inspiration can be best seen in its distinctive glass-fronted façade, which mirrors that of the iconic Parisian design. In keeping with Chareau’s vision of a work-life set-up, the property comprises two interlinked buildings that sit opposite one another across a private courtyard and are joined at the lower ground floor level, creating the opportunity to have both an office and home that are combined yet feel distinctly seperate.

Photography by Tony Murray
Photography by Tony Murray

With extra-height ceilings and an unusual open-plan layout, the property is just as striking inside. In the east wing, on the lower and ground level, is a dramatic double-height grand salon, with an upper gallery level featuring the kitchen and dining room. On the lower level, a leisure suite is home to an unusual swimming pool-meets-cinema room, with a mechanical floor and waterproof screen, as well as a gym and cocktail bar for mid-movie drinks. On the first floor, the master bedroom spreads across the entire 2,000 sq ft of space. The west wing, meanwhile, is more intimate, with a double-height living room and kitchen on the ground floor and three bedrooms, a walk-in dressing room and a bathroom on the upper floors.

Photography by Tony Murray
Photography by Tony Murray

Just as Chareau envisioned his Parisian property to be used, Burton took full advantage of Eglon House’s extensive space and open-plan layout to create a working-from-home set up, utilising the east wing as his home and office, and the west wing as accommodation for his production team on the movie Dumbo.

Now on the market with Aston Chase, the property could be yours for the princely sum of £20m. Fancy trying it on for size first? It is also available to rent for £15,000 a week.

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