A copy of a leaked works tender obtained by The Independent shows that initial plans for the refurbishment would have cost a total of more than £200,000. The famous ‘golden’ tapestry was expected to fetch around £2,000 with an estimate of £208,104. However, the final cost of the project is estimated to have been closer to £112,000. The Cabinet has a budget of £30,000 each year for the upkeep of 11 Downing Street. The additional costs involved in the renovation have since been paid for by Mr Johnson. Boris Johnson is comforted by his wife Carrie and their children at 10 Downing Street after announcing his resignation as the leader of the Conservative Party / Andrew Parsons / No10 Downing Street With the Cabinet Office having paid for some of the work and furniture, it remains to be seen what the Johnsons will be able to take with them to their new home when the new Conservative leader is announced. Here are the other properties still owned by the couple that could become the family of four’s next home.
Camberwell, South London
The couple lived in a flat in a refurbished Grade II listed house overlooking Brunswick Park in Camberwell, south London, when Johnson became prime minister in July 2019. A month earlier, neighbors called the police after reports of a domestic disturbance. Since the couple have been living there, they’ve not only expanded their family by two – with children Wilfred and Romy now two and seven months old respectively – they’ve also bought a townhouse in the same area. The four bedroom house is arranged over three floors / Right movement On 19 July 2019, the couple paid £1.2 million for a four-bedroom, red-brick terraced Victorian home set over three floors. It extends over 2,000 square feet, with two reception rooms, four double bedrooms and two bathrooms. As well as this Camberwell home, Mr Johnson is believed to have rented out his Oxfordshire property to pay for 11 Downing Street apartment refurbishments / Right movement They revealed their engagement “late 2019” in February 2020, when they also announced they were expecting their first child together. Mr Johnson is believed to have mortgaged and rented out his properties in Camberwell and Thame to pay for the renovations to Flat 11 Downing Street.
Tame, Oxfordshire
The Old Farm House in Thame, Oxfordshire, is a Grade II listed four bedroom house. A chocolate box cottage, the house has a large open fire, exposed beams and views across the open Oxfordshire countryside. There is also a separate stone annex, a tennis court and a swimming pool. The Johnsons have a £1.25m home in Oxfordshire which was rented out last year / Right movement The property was bought in 2003 by Boris Johnson and his then wife Marina Wheeler for £640,000. At the time Johnson was MP for Henley. The couple divorced in 2018 and the property’s title was changed to Mr Johnson’s sole name in February 2020, the same month a family court judge gave Ms Wheeler permission to file for divorce. In February 2020, when the title was changed, the value of the property was stated as £1.25 million. The Old Farm House was let last April for £4,250 a month, unfurnished, for a period of at least one year. Boris Johnson outside his home in Tame in 2018 after his comments about women wearing burqas sparked outrage / PA A tenancy was agreed in May last year, so if the lease is coming to an end, the Johnsons could choose to make Old Farm House their country retreat if and when they leave Downing Street. The home in Tamem is just a 30-minute drive from Checkers – the Prime Minister’s country home – where Mr Johnson continued his recovery from Covid-19 after being discharged from hospital in April 2020. Cheques, in Buckinghamshire, the Prime Minister’s official country home / File P.A The 16th century Buckinghamshire manor house is a house of grace and favor used to entertain guests by the Prime Minister during their time in office. Johnson announced his resignation on July 7, but plans to stay on as prime minister until a successor is chosen, a process that could take months. The Johnsons had planned to throw a lavish party at Checkers on July 30 to celebrate their wedding in 2021, but reports now suggest the location of the party has been moved following criticism of the choice of venue.
