Fire Sale at Lisa Armstrong's Grove Park House

Price cut further after five bedroom property fails to find a buyer

Fire damage in the dining room is shown in the particulars . Picture: Stirling Ackroyd

August 25, 2024

The former wife of TV personality Ant McPartlin has been forced to further reduce the price of the house in Grove Park they shared.

Lisa Armstrong kept the five-bedroom property after the couple divorced in 2018 in a settlement reported to be worth £31million.

She chose to restart her life elsewhere and was renting out the property when it was hit by a major fire in September of last year.

Nobody was injured in the blaze, but extensive damage was done after the fire took hold in a first floor bedroom

The couple bought the property in £2.3million and, before the fire, agents estimated that it was worth at least £5million but, this May, it was put on the market for £4million with Stirling Ackroyd.

The price has now been cut to £3.75 million in an attempt to stir up interest in what is currently a very quiet market.

The listing particulars show rooms with fire damage and, although the cause is not mentioned, they do state that ‘this exclusive property requires modernisation in order to put it back to its original state’.

The double fronted family house has around 4700 sq. ft of space including a good size fully fitted kitchen/dining room, large reception room with tall ceilings, five double bedrooms including a primary suite with dressing area and en-suite bathroom, four further bathrooms and separate WC and study room. The lower ground floor of the house offers a second reception room/ games/ cinema room and bar area. There is also a gym room with a shower and the wide 80 foot garden is south facing and has an outdoor kitchen and tv area.

Another local estate agent said, “I don’t know the specifics of this property but, as a rule, we’d advise anyone selling a fire-damaged home to make good before putting it on the market.

“Normally the insurance company would be paying anyway and this would cover the specialist fire damage assessment which would rule out hidden damage, such as weakened beams or structural components.

“It may be that this has been done but the particulars show extensive fire damage yet make no mention of any assessment or structural survey.”

A retractable ladder was used to tackle the blaze. Picture: London Fire Brigade

No people were injured by the fire which required six fire engines and 40 firefighters using a 32m retractable ladder to put out, but the family's cat did not escape. Neighbours were also required to flee their homes.

Investigators concluded that the cause of the fire was electrical.

One of the five bedrooms still shows evidence of fire damage. Picture: Stirling Ackroyd

Listing admits 'some modernisation' required on property. Picture: Stirling Ackroyd

Pictures published on property site Right Move to advertise the sale show many of the rooms still with the effects of the fire including the rear bedroom where the fire first took hold. The listing admits ‘some work is required in order to put it back to its original state’.

The 4,700sq ft double fronted property has five double bedrooms, a cinema and games room, a bar area, a gym room with its own shower, and an 80 foot garden with an outdoor kitchen and covered eating area with its own TV.