Billionaires in bidding war for Brompton Road station

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

An abandoned London Underground station that served as the command bunker for the capital’s anti-aircraft defences during the Second World War is being haggled over by rival billionaires.

Brompton Road station opened as a stop on the Piccadilly Line and still bears the distinctive red-glazed tiles  Photo: Alamy 

 

 

Brompton Road station, which was once a stop on the Piccadilly line between South Kensington and Knightsbridge, is being sold off after decades in the hands of the Ministry of Defence.

Interested parties reportedly include the Qatari royal family and an anonymous Ukrainian bidder who, it is understood, wants to turn the building into a luxury home.

Up against them in the bidding war is a London-based businessman who says he wants to keep the site in public hands to commemorate its important heritage.

If successful, Ajit Chambers of the Old London Underground Company, which aims to develop abandoned Tube stations, wants to convert the rooftop into a garden, bar and restaurant area, while allowing visitors to travel underground to visit the drop-shafts.

He told The Independent: "As the battle for Brompton Road begins, the public become a large influence as essentially they own this site as taxpayers.