Parliament bellringer faces losing £1m London home after tearing out neighbour’s gates

A High Court judge has ordered the sale of a £1 million London home belonging to Parliament’s chief bellringer following a disastrous court battle with his next-door neighbour .

Retired financier Nicholas Partick-Hiley, 65, purchased his £2m mews cottage in Disbrowe Road, Fulham , in August 2023, intending to turn the property into a dream retirement home alongside his wife, Lisa, 63.

However, he was shocked when he arrived on completion day to find his new neighbour – master bellringer Adrian Udal, 66 – tearing down the front door and roller gate securing his property.

Mr Udal insisted he had a legal right to take action because he owns the land the gate was built on, but the couple sued and secured a victory last year after Judge Nicholas Parfitt branded Mr Udal's actions "wanton destruction" and "carefully pre-planned".

The bellringer – who was appointed secretary of the belfry in 2021 at St Margaret’s Church, a medieval building next to Westminster Abbey acting as a place of worship for the Houses of Parliament – was left facing a bill exceeding £100,000 after being ordered to pay damages and legal costs.

On Friday, after being informed that Mr Udal has "no intention" to pay what he owes, a judge at the High Court ordered the sale of his home to pay off his debts to his neighbours.

“The claimants are out of pocket and owed a considerable amount of money, which is ever increasing,” said the judge, Deputy Master Martin Dray.

“The defendant has made no attempt to repay any part of it...quite the contrary, he has disclaimed any liability to pay one penny piece.”

He granted the couple an order, enabling them to enforce charging orders already made over Mr Udal's property by selling it to recover their debts.

Mr Udal is a veteran bell-ringer, whose role involved liaising with clergy when bellringing is needed for special church, state and parliamentary events, while he is proud to have “rung in” the New Year almost every year since 2000.

Mr Partick-Hiley is a retired financier and former managing director and head of sales for North America investment banking specialists Panmure Gordon.

During the trial at Mayor's and City County Court last year, Judge Parfitt was told how the two neighbouring homes are in an unusual layout, with the Partick-Hileys’ house located behind Mr Udal’s property and reachable across a drive and through a passageway, which passes under part of his house and into their courtyard.

The drive and passageway are owned by Mr Udal, but the Partick-Hileys have the right to pass over it to get to their house, the court heard.

Explaining the background to the row, Mark Warwick KC, for the Partick-Hileys, said: “On the day of completion, Mr Partick-Hiley arrived at the property at about 12.10.