So you want to live: Over Trafalgar Square

Good views of Nelson's Column?

Good views of Nelson's Column?

From the terrace of this newly converted, four-bedroom pad, you get a great angle of Horatio's towering plinth, as well as Westminster, Big Ben and the London Eye.

What was it converted from?

Like a lot of buildings around here, it has quite a history. During the Second World War, King George VI offered it as a temporary home to the exiled Norwegian royal family. Naturally they brought with them a ton of creature comforts such as 600-year-old panelling for the walls, engravings to mount around the residence and Scandinavian furniture.

Who got it afterwards?

Well, the royals clearly made quite an impact on the property's future, as it went on to become the Norwegian embassy for a number of years.

Have the builders done a decent conversion then?

Very good indeed. They've maintained a lot of the imported features as well as earlier period touches such as the wooden beams and pillars criss-crossing some of the rooms. But they've also added an in-vogue contemporary feel, with whitewashed walls, aluminium fittings (for the kitchen) and polished wooden flooring.

What's the layout?

A spacious, two-level, 3,200sq ft slice of prime real estate with large roof terrace. The massive 40ft reception room would be a perfect place to roll out the canapés, while the granite and aluminium kitchen is a striking place to prepare them. The second level contains the four bedrooms.

How much?

The former Norwegian Embassy building on Cockspur Street, London, is for sale through Foxtons (020-7973 2000, www.foxtons.co.uk) for the eye-watering sum of £3.5 million.