Topps Tiles founder breaks record for the most expensive mansion sold in Sandbanks

A waterfront mansion formerly owned by football manager Harry Redknapp has broken the record for the most expensive property to be sold on Sandbanks.

Harbour Gate sold to a mystery buyer for a whopping £10million in the last week, almost £2million more than the previous record selling price on the millionaire’s playground in Poole Harbour, Dorset.

The six-bedroom house was sold by entrepreneur Barry Bester.

The Topps Tiles founder previously bought the property off Harry Redknapp and his wife Sandra for £6.9m in 2015. 

Since then he has spent £2million on refurbishing the mock-Tudor mansion, including having a £40,000 golf simulator built on the grounds.

The previous record sale price on Sandbanks was £8.09million, which was paid for the mansion next door to Harbour Gate in 2018. 

The £10million figure dwarfs the £400,000 price once paid for the same property in 1995. The Redknapps themselves bought it in 2001 for £3million, and lived there for 14 years, during which time Redknapp managed Spurs, Portsmouth, Southampton and Queens Park Rangers.

Harbour Gate sits on arguably the best plot on the Sandbanks peninsula, backing on to the entrance to Poole Harbour which is usually teeming with passing boats.

It has a kitchen and breakfast room, dining room, lounge, cinema room, library, indoor swimming pool, gym with sauna and an office.

The master bedroom has a large en suite bathroom, huge dressing room and a balcony that looks out onto the water.

Outside there are two sun terraces and a private jetty that has ‘parking’ for two jet skis which are hoisted into the water by way of a hydraulic lift.

The property also comes with a three bedroom detached gatehouse which by itself would probably be worth £1million.

There is also a double garage which has a professional dog grooming bathtub and driveway parking for 10 cars.

Steve Isaacs, of local estate agents Luxury and Prestige, who handled the sale, said: ‘We can confirm that the house has sold and it is quite a landmark sale as it is the most valuable house on Sandbanks to have sold.

‘We have a delighted buyer and seller for this beautiful home but as a matter of policy we never disclose details of our clients.

‘The house occupies arguably the best position on Sandbanks. It sits on a double-sized plot and comes with a lodge house on the grounds that would be quite a valuable house on its own merits.

‘It has had a lot of money lavished on it by the seller and every aspect of it if exceptional.

‘We have got unprecedented demand for high-end waterside homes at the moment, principally from buyers based in London and beyond.

‘There are now more buyers than there are sellers.

‘This has been fuelled by wealthy individuals relocating from London and other parts of the country as well as those looking for additional homes.

‘We have clients who have been able to run their businesses away from offices in town during the pandemic and want homes by the sea where they can work.’

The house that held the previous record for the most expensive property was The Moorings, next door to Harbour Gate.

Its former owners, entrepreneur Chris Thomas and wife Sue, built the palatial home on the 13,000sq ft of land before selling it in 2018.

The Moorings has five en suite bedrooms, three reception rooms, an office, cinema room, indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam room, gym, changing rooms, garden room and a wine room.

There is also a guest suite that has its own en suite bedroom, kitchenette and living room.

Outside, there is a gate house, a boat house, terraces and balconies make the most of the harbour views and the sunken garden leads to a private jetty.