Hugh Jackman's new London home

The X-Men star has properties all around the world, but is now on the hunt for a London pad to call his own.

He’s a bona fide Australian with property in Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast. And for good measure, he’s just purchased a triplex overlooking New York’s Hudson River for a cool £18million. But none of those properties will satisfy Hugh Jackman’s yearning for a London home, or his annoyance at selling his place in the now trendy Pimlico a few years ago.
“Yes, I used to own a house in Pimlico,” he tells FindaProperty.com “The area was still up and coming, but it’s boomed recently. It was a great crash pad and I got a good price for it. But I look back and sort of regret giving it up. It would have been quite handy to have now.”
As it is, the star of X-Men and Van Helsing is currently homeless in the UK – not ideal seeing as he’s about to start shooting the big screen adaptation of Les Miserables.
“I’m not officially house hunting as of right now, but with the movie and a few other projects based here, it would make sense to keep an eye out, so the search begins here… unofficially!”
Jackman’s a busy man. His new film Reel Steal recently opened, there’s another flick, Butter, in post-production, while a few weeks ago he found himself on the canvas in a WWE Raw wrestling showdown.
It’s no wonder therefore that when, in the past, he’s hired property in London, it’s the relaxed and leafy south-west areas of the capital that he and his family head to.
“We tend to always radiate towards the same areas when hiring properties. My wife loves it around South Kensington, and over the years I've lived in Notting Hill - just off the Chelsea Road – and around Fulham too. They’re all such beautiful areas with stunning parks and shops, so I’ll definitely be looking at homes over that way.”
There’s only one thing that the 42-year-old dad of two doesn’t favour – the prices. And particularly when noting how much floor space he gets compared to properties in the Southern Hemisphere.
“London’s a world-class city and one of my absolute favourites," he says, "but the prices don't half reflect that. They’re like New York’s - ridiculously expensive.
“Comparing the UK to Australia is like comparing chalk to cheese, although in recent years Sydney is making attempts to bridge the gap, and it’s catching up fast.
“I’ll guess I’ll have to pick and choose carefully in London and make maximum use of my spare time.”
Doesn't sound like you've got much of that, Hugh.