London 'billionaires' row' copes admirably with record-breaking drought as gardens remain an oasis of green

By FRANCINE WOLFISZ, NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:01, 19 August 2026 | Updated: 00:13, 19 August 2026 While many a garden has turned arid after more than 50 days without rain, one well-heeled street remains an oasis of green as the UK's record-breaking drought continues. The Bishops Avenue, in Hampstead, north London, is lined with sprawling mansions spread over two or three acres that command price tags of up to £100million. Nicknamed Billionaires' Row, it is one of the most expensive streets in the capital, with notable neighbours including members of royal families, tech moguls and entertainment industry titans. Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is also said to own 11 mansions on this exclusive street. Like many other parts of the country, residents in this prestigious postcode have had to abide by hosepipe bans amid searing summer temperatures. But aerial images show at least a handful of the mega mansions have not succumbed to seeing their lawns turn into dustbowls. Stretches of lush green can be seen in the front and rear of the properties within the avenue, as well as neighbouring Winnington Road. The Bishops Avenue is serviced by Thames Water for both its fresh water supply and wastewater network. A hosepipe ban for the area was imposed last month, with the restrictions covering ten million customers across Greater London, the Thames Valley, Surrey, and parts of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Kent and Essex. At least some of the mega mansions on The Bishops Avenue, in Hampstead, north London, have remained an oasis of green amid the UK's record-breaking drought Stretches of lush green can be seen in the front and rear of the properties within the avenue, as well as neighbouring Winnington Road There are several ways the homeowners could have kept their gardens green, including using watering cans, irrigation systems or boreholes  Your browser does not support iframes. There is no evidence any residents have breached the ban, and there are several ways the proud homeowners could have kept their lawns looking vibrant and verdant, including using watering cans. Irrigation systems are also allowed, as long as they use an approved drip or trickle system and are fitted with a pressure-reducing valve and timer. Several individuals qualify for exemption from the ban, including people with severe mobility problems, chronic or serious illness. Other solutions include boreholes, which are narrow, deep shafts drilled into the earth to access natural groundwater. Boreholes can produce around 10,000 litres of water a day, which comparison site AquaSwitch said was 'more than enough for homes, farms and small commercial properties'. Drawn from the natural rock layers – known as aquifers – underneath land, the groundwater drawn from boreholes begins as rain before filtering through soil, sand, chalk and other rock. Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson speculated earlier this week that Sir Rod Stewart could be employing a borehole to keep his lawn alive at his Grade II-listed Essex mansion despite coming under Affinity Water's hosepipe ban. There is no evidence the music icon has breached the ban at the ten-bedroom property he bought for £4.65million in 2013 and later moved into with wife Penny Lancaster. Writing in The Sun, the former Grand Tour presenter said: 'Could it be, perhaps, that Rod, here with wife Penny, probably has a borehole?' 'You dig a hole maybe 100 metres down into the ground, put a pump in it and water comes out. Water that's not subjected to any kind of government interference.' Referencing his Cotswolds pub, he added: 'That's what we did at [Farmer's Dog], which is why the lawns there are also weirdly verdant.' Mr Clarkson's boozer, which he bought for £1million, appeared surprisingly lush in pictures taken on Monday as healthy grass sprang up around the outdoor dining area. Grass outside Jeremy Clarkson's Cotswolds pub looked surprisingly lush on Monday  Chef Jamie Oliver's lawns are rather more green than most, and the secret it easy to spot - a large personal lake just a stone's throw from the back of his Essex mansion Your browser does not support iframes. By contrast, Sir Paul McCartney has seen the ground turn yellow at his 160-acre estate in Peasmarsh, near Rye, East Sussex. Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards's Redlands estate over the county border in West Wittering, West Sussex, has also taken on golden hues. But celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's lawns are greener than most thanks to a large private lake just a stone's throw from the back of his Essex mansion. The star has installed hosepipes between the pond and his garden, which is markedly greener than the parched countryside that surrounds it. Water taken from a privately owned source – such as from a lake, pond, spring or well on a property – is exempt from the hosepipe ban. Oliver has lived at the Grade I-listed 12-bedroom property since purchasing it for £6million in 2019, and the pond sits within its 70-acre site. Drought has been declared for all of Wales and almost three-quarters of England – with a sixth heatwave predicted next month. It was confirmed last week the UK is on course for its hottest summer ever – with only average conditions needed for the rest of August to beat a record set only last year. The mean temperature for the summer so far, from June 1, stands at 16.48C – which is 1.88C above the 1991 to 2020 average, provisional data shows. There could be at least some relief on the way – with forecasters predicting torrential thundery showers making their way south across the country this week.  But the hardened ground could cause flash flooding, experts warn.  The worst weather is forecast for Thursday, when heavy and thundery downpours are set to move south from Scotland. Mike Silverstone, the Met Office's deputy chief forecaster, warned: 'As some of these showers could be intense, there is a chance of some surface water flooding as the rain falls on very dry and hard ground.' He added: 'While some of these will be heavy, some areas will miss them altogether.' Temperatures over the coming days are due to reach highs in the low 20s Celsius (70s Fahrenheit) in southern England and Wales, but only the high teens (60s F) in northern areas – more typical for a British summer. Thundery showers are likely to continue into Friday before a fine and dry Saturday. Mr Silverstone said: 'Many areas in England and Wales are desperate for rain, this week some of these areas will see the first meaningful rain for a long time.'  But the Met Office has raised the spectre of a sixth heatwave before the autumn equinox – saying the first half of September could see 'late season hot spells or heatwaves develop, especially in the south'.  Last week saw the hottest day of the year with temperatures peaking at 38.1C (100.6F) on Thursday – close to the all-time record of 40.3C (104.5F) recorded in 2022 – sparking devastating wildfires including one which destroyed 19 homes in Stourbridge, West Midlands. Tinder-dry conditions have seen large blazes break out in countryside from the Peak District to the New Forest, South Wales and Suffolk – and resulted in the government issuing the first-ever national emergency alert for wildfires to mobile phones last Friday. More than 27 million people are now subject to restrictions on water use.  Wessex Water was the latest company to bring in a hosepipe ban on Tuesday.