But Sotheby’s, with O’Brien at the helm, have time on their side. He is, against the 71-year-old Hersham, cherubic: aged 32 and enjoying an influx of young buyers clamouring for someone more aligned with their tastes. ‘Over the last 10 years, the average age of a buyer with $25 million or more to spend, globally, came down 12 years,’ he says. Competition is heating up for the first gen of luxury agents – Andrew Langton, Peter Wetherell – and for the classic stomping grounds of Mayfair and Belgravia. Today’s purveyors are entrepreneurs from the US and China, along with the scions of Russian and Middle Eastern fortunes: profiles in search of greener pastures, namely Notting Hill, where already stratospheric prices were forced further upwards during the pandemic as London’s most desirable homes became those with “direct access” to “the best garden squares”. There has been a price flip, with houses on premium roads in W11 commanding £4,500 per square foot against £3,000 per square foot in Eaton Square.