Former church behind Harrods is on sale for £55m after being converted to luxury home – 20 years after diocese sold it for just £1m

The newly converted building was believed to have been bought for about £10 million by Alain Boublil, the lyricist who wrote the hit musicals Les Misérables and Miss Saigon.

But in 2009 he was said to have sold the home to a Thai businessman for £13.5million, with some of the current features.

An agreement in place ensures that the bells will not be rung, meaning a prospective buyer would not need to worry about the noise.

Stuart Bailey, head of Knight Frank's Belgravia office, said the property has been refurbished twice in the past ten years and the new owner could walk in and live there "immediately", and could negotiate the purchasing of its furniture too.

He told The Times: "If it were a typical townhouse there would be quite a few empty rooms shut up. Here you use all the space, so it can feel cosy and comfortable."