Wetherell

The newest penthouses in Mayfair sit on the eighth floor of Avenfield House above Park Lane, with views in one direction over Hyde Park; in the other, over the area’s distinctive redbrick houses towards the London Eye and the City.

Any weakening of the pound against the dollar or euro will see further interest from abroad. However, supply of property will remain relatively low thanks to low interest rates and unemployment not affecting prime property owners. We are unlikely to see the bargain prices of 2009 again.

THERE’S living in London, and then there’s living in a London area with a truly sought-after postcode. It’s not just about status – it really is smarter, and nicer.

Simon Halabi, the billionaire owner of a £500 million trophy collection of London office blocks that was handed to administrators last month, is selling a property in Mayfair for £30.5 million.

In the early Eighties I briefly lived in Mayfair. I sublet a flat behind the Park Lane Hilton from the wayward son of a Greek shipper. "There is everything you need here,'' said the swarthy heir to a fleet of threadbare flags of convenience (no Onassis, he) and I expected him to show me how the utilities worked and the whereabouts of the cleaning kit. Instead, he leant out of his first floor window and pointed at a muddy green door. "There, for £25, you can get six of the best,''