What property slump? Russia's richest woman buys London mansion for £50m only a year after it was sold for £32m

With most homeowners worried about the plunging price of their property, there's always the exception that proves the rule.

After being sold last year for £32million, the biggest private house in London bar Buckingham Palace has just been bought for £50million - a 56 per cent rise in 12 months.

Witanhurst, a 90-room Grade II Queen Anne listed mansion in Highgate, is the latest investment by the Mayor of Moscow's wife Elena Baturina.

She is the richest woman in Russia in her own right with a fortune of £1.3billion.