If you can’t dream at Christmas, when can you? It’s why we found ourselves inside a £15m penthouse at The Heron

Last month’s ‘real home’ took me to the rather eye-opening North London abode of Robert Newmark, but my feet remained very much on the ground. Now I found myself 36 storeys up in the City sky, gawping at a view of The Shard from one of The Heron’s penthouses. ‘They are perfect for someone looking for the best in class in luxury City living,’ says Lindsay Gill, Associate in Residential Development Sales at Savills, about the two penthouses, named simple as South and North. An understatement, I say.

The Heron is newsworthy for being the first residential development in the City for over 30 years. Its location will make any sane person envious, adjacent as it is to the Barbican Centre, and a short walk away from the restaurants of Angel or the trendsetters East London way. Thirty six storeys high, The Heron comprises 285 highly specified apartments, with the lower floors now home to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. However, it’s the South penthouse that demands my attention today.

Walk through the door and the lobby instantly impresses. A marble staircase greets you, with a skylight above, helping to emphasise the space in the fantastic duplex. The Sahara Noir marble floor is just one highlight of how the penthouse is finished. ‘The penthouses have been highly specified and the natural stone of the Sahara Noir marble floors show this,’ Lindsay says, ‘as well as the bespoke Boffi kitchens with Gaggeneau appliances and Crestron Home Management systems. The developer, Heron International, worked closely with the renowned, world class United Designers on the development and the South penthouse.’

Walk up the aforementioned stars and you are greeted by dual aspect views and stunningly lit rooms thanks to the full height windows. The view is breathtaking, taking in all the sights of the capital. ‘The living rooms are a stand out feature,’ Lindsay responds to my awe. ‘Also, on the upper floor, both penthouses have an innovative “indoor, outdoor” room with a retractable glass roof, allowing residents to enjoy fantastic natural light and good weather in a sheltered environment – including throughout the winter months.’

It would be quite the setting for a gathering, there’s no doubt about that. The kitchen is open plan, perfect for cooking for friends whilst chatting over a glass of wine, and the spacious dining room in the South penthouse offers a subtle mix of both formal and informal spaces.

Overall, the penthouse measures 6,000 sq ft and features four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Again, the master bedroom offers wonderful views of the City, but is also the height of luxury too. A dressing room with a separate walk-in ‘wonder room’ adds a note of elegance too. The bathrooms offer a real escape, kitted out as you’d expect with the finest fixtures and fittings, with the dark quartz surfaces of the master bathroom a particular stand out. If all this gets too much, then there is always the cinema room, which offers a fully immersive home theatre experience with automated curtains.

Mere mortals like me wouldn’t have much interest in leaving the surroundings of the penthouse, but if you did then there’s a surprising feeling of community elsewhere at The Heron. ‘Everyone living there has access to the private residents’ club,’ Lindsay says about another unique aspect of The Heron, ‘which offers an impeccable level of service. The club includes lounge areas designed by Tara Bernard, as well as a bar, cinema room, meeting rooms, a landscaped garden, gym and 24 hour concierge service.’

Robert Newmark’s home was a little surreal to me, but The Heron is another world entirely too, with the South penthouse currently on the market for a cool £15m. It’s fair to say I’ve been swept off my feet.

WORDS: Mark Kebble

To find out more about The Heron, contact Savills on 020 7409 8756 or visit The Heron