A fire-ravaged £4.5million Georgian mansion on Millionaires’ Row was being transformed into a dream family home, neighbours have revealed.
Early on Monday morning, a devastating fire rapidly engulfed the Grade II-listed Hollybush House in Barnet, resulting in the complete destruction of the nine-bedroom residence.
Planning documents submitted to Barnet council show it was currently undergoing extensive renovations to restore the building.
According to neighbors, the owners had invested a significant amount of money in various renovations, such as fixing the roof and installing stone flooring in the hallway.
They also wanted to reopen a historic fireplace in the first floor master bedroom.
The renovation work, which had been in progress for the past 18 months, was reportedly close to being finished before the tragic fire occurred.
The applicant for the works is Robert and Helen Speroni with the former appearing to be the managing director of £44million turnover building products firm Radmat.
A Helen Speroni is also listed on Companies House as a director, as well as being named as the chair of trustees at independent Oxfordshire school Amici Bruerni, which charges £15,000 a term in boarding fees.
The 18th century mansion was previously owned by Janet Fernau who founded charity Haemochromatosis UK in 1990 and was appointed an MBE for her services to healthcare.
Firefighters continue to dampen down Georgian mansion Hollybush House in Barnet this morning after a horror fire
Grade II-listed Hollybush House, in Barnet, was destroyed after a fire tore through the nine-bed home in a matter of minutes in the early hours of Monday morning
Fire crews worked through the night to extinguish the blaze on Hadley Green Road, Barnet
She died in 2023, just three years after selling the property in a multi-million-pound deal.
An eyewitness who alerted firefighters to the inferno told MailOnline that he believed the fire had started in the roof before it spread through the building in less than half an hour.
‘I called the fire brigade and they got here pretty quickly,’ he said.
‘Flames had engulfed the house within about 20 minutes, it all happened quite quickly. And obviously it’s all timber inside so that’s why they’re spraying it with so much water now.
‘The fire brigade turned up with eight to ten fire trucks but they struggled to find the hydrant. They spent a lot of time protecting the gentleman’s house next door which is also a listed property. They done that quite successfully.
‘At about 4am it was still ongoing and the house was completely destroyed.
‘There was blue and green flames at one point last night so we thought it was gas but it didn’t explode in the end.
‘It started in the roof I think. In the space of about 20 minutes the whole house was engulfed in flames’
An eyewitness told MailOnline that he believed the fire had started in the roof before it spread through the building in less than half an hour
More than 70 firefighters battled through the night to save as much of Hollybush House as they could
The London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines had swarmed the scene with about 70 firefighters working to extinguish the inferno
Neighbours who have lived in the area for the last two decades told MailOnline: ‘There was no one living there. It wasn’t going to be rented, it was being done up as a family home for them.
‘They’ve spent thousands on it, let’s just hope they have good insurance.’
Another neighbour who has lived here for 10 years said: ‘I know him [the owner], he’s a popular guy. Haven’t seen him in a while though. Think he’s been renting nearby.’
Steve Clarke, 60, told The Telegraph the building was a ‘complete house’ with it ‘close to being ready’.
‘When I heard about it this morning, I didn’t think it would look like that, you can see it’s got no roof or windows,’ he said.
Teacher Jacqui Beaumont, in her 60s, who lives nearby, said: ‘It would have been an utterly magnificent house with a view across this beautiful green space that we’re very lucky to enjoy here in Barnet.
‘It looked pristine, but now it’s been ruined.’
More than 70 firefighters battled through the night to save as much of Hollybush House as they could.
But images posted from the scene showed much of the sprawling nine-bed home is now gone.
Fire crews rushed to the Hadley Green Road, which is home to scores of detached houses with seven-figure price tags, around 1am.
Firefighters are continuing to dampen down the mansion with scaffolding surrounding the home
The roof appears to have been completely destroyed in the blaze
The main building boasted a drawing room, library, kitchen, dining room, sitting room and art room, with an adjoining garage
The London Fire Brigade said: ‘The whole of the roof, as well as most of the first floor and half of the ground floor of the property are alight’
Homes on Hadley Green Road are known to go for millions of pounds, with current listings revealing one of the houses sold for £4.7m – in 2014
The London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines had swarmed the scene with about 70 firefighters working to extinguish the inferno.
Crews were still trying to get the blaze, which had engulfed much of the house, under control several hours later.
The cause of the fire is unknown and emergency services are yet to comment on whether anyone has been injured.
London Fire Brigade said ‘Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are tackling a fire at a house on Hadley Green Road in Barnet.
‘The whole of the roof, as well as most of the first floor and half of the ground floor of the property are alight.
‘The Brigade’s Control Officers took the first of seven calls to the fire at 0110 and mobilised crews from Southgate, Barnet, Finchley and surrounding fire stations to the scene.
‘The cause of the fire is not known at this time.’
Hollybush House was built in the late 1700s and boasts six bedrooms in the main home – one with its own roof garden – and three more in an attached ‘cottage’.
Documents show the main building has a floor-space stretching to 6,300 sq ft with offices, the cottage and outbuildings adding a further 3,000 sq ft.
The main building boasted a drawing room, library, kitchen, dining room, sitting room and art room, with an adjoining garage.
It is set in two-and-a-quarter acres of grounds, which include a heated outdoor swimming pool, a kitchen garden, several terraces and a rose garden, among others.
Homes on Hadley Green Road are known to go for millions of pounds, with current listings revealing one of the houses sold for £4.7m – in 2014.
When Hollybush House was last listed, the asking price was not made public.
