Cheap in Chelsea

A home in Chelsea for £170 per square foot? Such can be found in the form of the MS Mouette, a converted ferry moored at Cadogan Pier

Previously offered for sale in 2012 for £1 million and then £695,000 in 2014, the price of a 1,707 square foot converted former ferry moored at Cadogan Pier in Chelsea has now been slashed to just £290,000 or £170 per square foot.

Offered by Riverhomes, the MS Mouette was built in 1939 and carried passengers on the landlocked Lac du Neuchatel in Switzerland from then until 2002. Measuring 112 foot long and bought by a management consultant named Wolfgang Steck in 2004, here is a boat that had to travel 600 miles across land and water to reach its current home next to the Albert Bridge.

Retaining many Art Deco features, the MS Mouette has now morphed into what essentially a vast bachelor pad with just one bedroom and instead of further sleeping accommodation, a vast 29-foot entertaining space. The boat’s kitchen is tiny – just 8-foot by 7-foot – but highlights include an original ticket office converted to serve as a bar and a 37-foot long by 17-foot wide entertaining deck.

Not subject to stamp duty, the annual mooring costs for the boat are £27,196 per annum inclusive of water. A buyer is also eligible for a parking permit for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Of the MS Mouette, in 2012, Wolfgang Steck told The Telegraph:

“The boat is absolutely a huge love affair for me… She ferried schoolchildren in the morning, lovers at the weekends, across the long alpine lake. She dates from the Thirties, when designers built beautiful ships and people on board wore straw boaters and blue blazers. When I saw her I knew she was made for me.”

“I had to get her to the Rhine and float her down… Getting between the alpine houses [en-route by lorry first], through tiny villages, was difficult.”

“Doing something extraordinary brings people together, and MS Mouette is still doing this. There is a great community of boats on the pier. When the sun shines there is always someone on deck with a bottle of wine.”

In 2014, speaking to the Daily Mail, Steck added:

“When I first saw the MS Mouette, I became fascinated by its history. MS Mouette was delivered to neutral Switzerland only days before the start of World War II, which saved it from any military involvement.”

“It is a boat of such extraordinary beauty and rarity that it was essential to keep its historical charm and authenticity. I kept as many of the original features as I could, such as the extensive wood panelling. Mouette feels like a private island in the midst of the bustling metropolis.”

MS Mouette – The Numbers

2019 – £290,000 ($380,000, €339,000 or درهم1.4 million)

2014 – £695,000 ($910,000, €812,000 or درهم3.3 million)

2012 – £1 million ($1.3 million, €X1.2 million or درهم4.8 million)

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