A luxury estate agent has been ordered to vacate a £19 million property in Regent’s Park, once home to Charles Dickens, after falling more than £10 million into debt and failing to meet mortgage repayments.
Deborah Fiorentino, 63, took out a £17.85 million loan secured against the Grade I listed, seven-bedroom property in Hanover Terrace (pictured) – where Dickens wrote parts of Great Expectations in 1861.
The house, overlooking the boating lake and designed by the neoclassical architect John Nash, features a gym and sauna following recent renovations.
A judge sitting at the Mayor’s and City of London County Court ruled earlier this month that Fiorentino must vacate the property within three months, granting her time to find a buyer.
TREATING CUSTOMERS FAIRLY
The court heard that she had made no mortgage payments since December 2022 and had no intention of resuming them.
Fiorentino, formerly married to Italian aristocrat Giovanni Fiorentino and high-profile divorce lawyer Raymond Tooth, claimed her lender had treated her unfairly.
However, Judge Nicholas Parfitt dismissed the argument, stating the lender’s security rights took legal precedence.
The court accepted it was “common ground” that no payments had been made and none were forthcoming.
Fiorentino told the court she had come close to securing a sale on several occasions, including to a Premier League footballer, but had failed to reach exchange.
OVERPRICED
Michael Walsh KC, representing the lender, accused her of significantly overpricing the property and lacking the ability to market it effectively. One other property she listed at nearly £20 million reportedly sold for just over £11 million.
Fiorentino’s separate claim against the bank, alleging financial losses, is expected to be heard at a later date.
DICKENS IN REGENT’S PARK
Charles Dickens spent the summer of 1861 at 57 Chester Terrace, a grand stucco-fronted property overlooking Regent’s Park boating lake.
It was during this time that he completed Great Expectations, considered one of his finest works.
The house, designed by John Nash – famed for his work on Buckingham Palace and Marble Arch – reflects the Regency-era elegance favoured by London’s elite.
Dickens, already a literary celebrity, used the retreat to revise manuscripts and entertain guests.
Today, the property remains a rare example of preserved literary heritage in the capital’s most exclusive residential enclave.
