Remarkably, the house where notorious serial killer Dennis Nilsen murdered most of his victims is a very loved and lived-in home today.
Nilsen was one of the UK’s most prolific serial killers and ended up killing at least 15 men and teenagers in cold blood.
The murderer used his Cricklewood home in North London to carry out most of his killings during his spree from 1978 until 1983.
In recent times he has been the subject of Des, an ITV drama that recently dropped on Netflix, and a documentary Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes.
What happened to Dennis Nilsen’s Cricklewood house?
Happy couple Mathilde and Bruno bought the flat at 195 Melrose Avenue in 2016 for £493,000.
Despite the grizzly things that happened at the address, that wasn’t much less than what other houses in the area were going for.
It turns out murder only knocks around 10% off the asking price!
While some of us might feel a little wary about bumps in the night, the couple insists that they don’t dwell on what happened all those years ago.
Mathilde told Sun Online: “Nothing changed around how we feel about our house.
“We love our house, it feels good to live in it, we have sun every day being south facing.
“We never think about the history. The first thing the agent said was, ‘Have you Googled the property?’ So we looked it up and read all about the history.
“But it was all 35, 40 years ago. For us, it was never an issue.”
Read More: Discover the latest true crime documentaries here
Police found more than 1,000 teeth and bone fragments when they dug up the garden in February 1983.
Surprisingly, the couple confessed that they watched Des, which stars David Tennant as Nilsen. Mathilde added: “It was a great performance from David Tennant to depict a psychologically complex Dennis Nilsen.”
Police arrested Nilsen at his subsequent home in 25 Cranley Gardens, in nearby Muswell Hill, where he took the lives of three victims.
They found human organs and torsos in black bin liners, and a severed human head in the kitchen.
How much is Dennis Nilsen’s house worth today?
Dennis Nilsen’s house in 23 Cranley Gardens is currently worth £505,000, according to Rightmove’s estimate.
It last sold for £520,000 in 2024, an 82% appreciation in value from its £285,000 sale less than 10 years prior.
Rightmove’s sale history only dates back to 1996, when it was bought for £83,000.
Other properties in the same area have fetched a lot more money. For example, Flat A in 46 Cranley Gardens was sold for £770,000 in 2024. Other addresses on the street have been listed as whole homes, rather than apartments, and they’ve been sold for as much as £1.9 million (as of 2023).
195 Melrose Avenue is valued at £1.5 million, as per Rightmove’s estimate. It last sold in 2022 for £625,000.
Is Dennis Nilsen still alive?
Dennis Nilsen died on May 12, 2018, aged 72.
Two days earlier, 35 years into his life prison sentence, he had complained of severe stomach pains.
Officers transported him from Full Sutton maximum security prison to York Hospital where he was examined by doctors.
Test results showed he had a ruptured aortic aneurysm and he was operated on immediately.
However, he later died despite efforts to save him.
At the time, a Prison Service spokesperson said: “Dennis Andrew Nilsen, date of birth November 23 1945, died in custody at HMP Full Sutton on Saturday, May 12 2018.
“As with all deaths in custody, there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.”
Read more: Exploring the victims of UK serial killer Dennis Nilsen in ‘The Nilsen Files’
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