In southwest London’s Royal Bushy Park, a Cold War-era torpedo testing site has been reimagined as a striking six-bedroom home. Known as Rotunda, the singular residence has hit the market for £7.5 million (about $10.1 million) and offers more than 10,000 square feet of contemporary living space wrapped around a circular walled garden with a sunken courtyard at its center.
Originally built by the Admiralty in the 1950s as a 150-foot-diameter water tank used for underwater weapons testing, the structure was later decomissioned and repurposed by the noted British architecture firm Norman & Dawbarn (now part of Capita Architecture), the same team behind the BBC’s question mark-shaped Television Centre. Their metamorphosis of the testing site preserved the original structure’s curved footprint, while the brutalist-inspired design makes extensive use of glass and aluminum. The distinctive copper roof nods to the site’s original military purpose while deterring spy activity.
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The renovation preserved the original footprint while introducing glass, aluminum, and copper roof.
Savills
The generous layout spans two floors with three reception rooms, including a 120-foot-long open-plan great room, along with six bedrooms and six bathrooms. Two metal spiral staircases lead down to a subterranean space large enough to accommodate a swimming pool, gym, or spa, with a certificate of lawful use already in place.
Within the walled garden, the sunken courtyard anchors the home visually and physically, creating an unusual sense of enclosure that feels secure and secluded yet intimately connected to nature. Beyond the garden’s high walls, the property’s 1.3 gated acres offer additional garden space—there’s potential to add a tennis court—and leafy views into the Bushy Park, the second largest of the city’s eight royal parks.
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A pair of metal spiral staircases descend to the lower ground level.
Savills
According to Savills’ Daniel Killick, who is handling the sale, this is “one of southwest London’s most significant houses,” adding, “Its gate into the park—and private access to the Water Gardens each week—simply add to Rotunda’s special interest.”
Rotunda is a leasehold property, meaning the land it occupies is owned by the Crown Estate. The park itself spans 1,100 acres and is famed for its formal gardens, wild deer, and close proximity to Hampton Court Palace. “This is a truly breath-taking property,” Killick says. “You feel like you’re on the set of a James Bond film, and yet it is a practical family home.”
Click here to see more photos of the London home.
Savills
Authors
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Abby Montanez
Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…