A sprawling estate where a big cat was found lurking in the gardens is up for grabs – listed at £8m.
The luxurious mansion, located in the affluent borough of Cricklewood, London, has a secret waiting to be discovered.
Back in 1991, multiple sightings of a “scary panther beast” were reported, lurking around people’s gardens, reports Need To Know.
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Shortly after, beloved pets, such as cats, rabbits and guinea pigs went missing, with no clear answer.
Seven years later, the “Beast of Barnet” as it was dubbed, was back with a vengeance, with the Metropolitan Police urging locals to lock up their homes and animals while the hunt was on.
Then, in May 2001, the mystery was solved, when the European lynx was found hiding in the garden of this mansion on Hocroft Road, now up for sale.
Across 10,127 sq ft, there are 13 bedrooms, four of which are en-suites, two reception rooms, and a chef’s kitchen.
There’s also a fully equipped gym, pool and sauna, as well as, of course, the expansive gardens where the “beast” hid for a number of years.
Stepping inside, a grand entrance awaits with a spiral staircase leading upstairs and a crystal chandelier adding a pop of luxury in the centre.
In the reception rooms, beige and natural tones bring a clean feel to the overall space.
One of them, which features floor-to-ceiling windows, allows natural light to flood through and is accompanied by striking white pillars and an ornate fireplace.
The dining room oozes sophistication with dark brown furnishings contrasting against the pristine white walls, ceiling and flooring.
On the same level, the pool is ready to be enjoyed by guests or avid swimmers, with the sauna sitting in the adjacent room.
The kitchen has everything needed to whip up a feast and enough space to entertain people with a grand breakfast spread or dinner when visiting.
The bedrooms are simple in nature, as well as the bathrooms and could use modernisation – but offer great potential.
Offering ultimate privacy, the detached home can only be accessed via a gated entrance at the front.
And where the mystery once laid; the luscious green garden.
The grounds come with a tranquil waterfall pond and allows the impressive mansion to be admired from a different view.
But, most importantly, it’s where the surreal tale ended.
It’s believed that the lynx stayed in the gardens for over a decade before being captured by police and zoo wardens.
According to local reports, experts from the London Zoo and Royal Veterinary College thought that the animal was either an escaped puma or leopard.
But after further investigation, it was alleged that the big cat had escaped from its owner’s home on the same road, who had been keeping her illegally for years.
Eventually, the lynx, named Lara, was sent to the big cat enclosure at the city zoo, before being transferred to the Parc Zoologique du Bois de Coulange in France.
She went on to start a family, before passing away in 2009.
Owner, Farhana Meerza, 56, was in the home when Lara sought refuge in her garden.
“If anyone had told us the ‘Beast of Barnet’ was living and roaming around the undergrowth at the end of our long garden we would have thought it was all a joke and never would have believed them,” she said.
“My husband and I never took it seriously and we said it was all nonsense until of course, we found out our back garden had been its lair.
“It’s the perfect family home for either a large family or a family who also want to accommodate extended family members.
“My daughters have now grown up and our extended family has left, which is why I have decided to sell and downsize.”
The home, which now comes beast-free, is up for sale at £8m with Beauchamp Estates.
Rosy Khalastchy, Head of Beauchamp Estates St John’s Wood & North West London added: “This is the first time in my career that I have been asked to sell a London house which for over a decade was linked to a panther-like creature living and lurking in the undergrowth of the back garden.
“Instead of a historical ghost, this house had its own monster.”
