""There was one Free French soldier still alive when I bought the building. He flew down to Mayfair and took me out for dinner. Just to say thank you for buying it and for restoring it.""
""When I first bought it, the building was completely dilapidated. My focus was to stabilise it and save it. We made the structure airtight, put a proper roof on it.""
Samuel Leeds purchased Ribbesford House Estate for £810,000, unaware of its significant wartime history. The estate, in severe disrepair, required urgent restoration. Leeds invested £3 million to stabilize and restore the building, making it weathertight and structurally sound. A dinner with a surviving Free French soldier after the purchase reframed Leeds' perspective on his investment and losses. Despite the financial setback of £3.5 million, Leeds expresses a willingness to undertake the project again due to its historical importance.
Read at London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com
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