Abandoned Billionaires' Row

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

Inside the derelict houses on Billionaires' Row: Abandoned ballrooms and plants growing in staircases in street where some mansions have stood empty for 25 years

Behind the doors of many of the mansions on so-called Billionaires Row, in The Bishops Avenue, north London, there is little left in the way of opulence and luxury. It is estimated that a third of the homes are in a terrible state of disrepair after lying vacant for a quarter of a century such as this mansion (bottom left) with ferns growing up the stairs (top left) and a crumbling ballroom (main). The empty buildings include a row of 10 mansions, worth £73m, which are thought to be owned by members of the Saudi Royal family - purchased between 1989 and 1993 to escape the turbulence in the Middle East during Saddam Hussain's dictatorship in Iraq.