Although it would be any writer’s dream to live where novelist George Eliot once lived, the iconic London mansion now belongs to billionaire Michael Bloomberg. The former NYC mayor just purchased the property for $26 million.

The seven-bedroom Cheyne Walk home has the feel of traditional English elegance. Originally built in 1715, the house is decorated in lush period style. A spectacular Baroque ceiling mural of Venus painted by Sir James Thornhill surrounds the staircase and acts as the centerpiece of the home. If Thornhill’s name sounds familiar, it’s because his work can also be seen on the dome at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The 5,000-square-foot historic home is located right beside the Thames and features an elevator, original parquet floors, a large garden, vaults, paneling and intricate cornice work, murals, and marble fireplaces.

With timeless elegance and a rich history, it’s a home that Eliot could have easily written into her classic novel Middlemarch. George Eliot was the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, one of the leading writers of the Victorian era.