The £3m bachelor pad

It is almost 150 years since the duke hosted lavish champagne parties at Fife House in Lewes Crescent.

Telecoms millionaire Patrick Naughton has now bought it for £3 million. He said: "As soon as I saw it I fell in love with it. It is amazing to think dukes, kings and princesses stayed there.

"It would be a great place for parties but I'm not sure I can compare to the original duke. His wife ran up gambling debts of over £200,000."

Mr Naughton, who grew up in Crawley, first put in an offer for a house on the other side of the crescent and was heartbroken when the bid fell through.

But estate agents put him in touch with Todd Cooper and Giuseppe Sironi, who bought Fife House three years ago.

Mr Naughton knew right away it was the perfect pad.

He said: "I've bought most of the contents of the house too, as the Regency furniture was incredible but I'll be making it more homely. I'll need to put in a TV for a start, though sadly they don't make Regency ones.

"There will also be room for paintings so I'll have fun shopping for those. I don't want it to be like a museum - I want a lived-in feel."

The 43-year-old runs his own company, TelecomOne, from London but spends all of his spare time in Brighton and has a flat in Eastern Terrace.

The six-bedroom, Grade I listed house was designed by architect Thomas Cubitt who was responsible for most of Kemp Town.

William George Spencer Cavendish, the sixth Duke of Devonshire, bought the property in 1829 for £1,800.

During one year of his tenure he spent £600 on champagne and £550 on claret - while his manservant was paid just £35.

Mr Cooper, a recently retired banker and his partner, an antique furniture buyer, bought Fife House three years ago for just over £500,000.

They have lovingly restored the property to its former glory as well as putting in plumbing, wiring and installing central heating.

Helped by the BBC's House Detectives television show and original letters from the duke to his sister, they uncovered many original features and fittings, including a vast kitchen, complete with a range called The Brighton (circa 1829), behind a bricked-up doorway in the cellar.

But the most amazing discovery, concealed behind thick white paint in the drawing room, is an original wall painting by the Craces, the foremost interior designers of their day, who decorated the Royal Pavilion and the Houses of Parliament.

Mr Cooper said: "The room is incredible but sadly we just did not have the estimated £60,000 to £100,000 to restore the walls and ceiling ourselves and could not get a grant from English Heritage."

Mr Naughton has pledged to put the final touches to the house and will restore the drawing room.

He said: "It will be expensive but a lot less than what I'm paying for the house so it seems silly not to."

Mr Cooper said: "We hadn't planned to sell but when Mr Naughton made an offer we reflected we had only spent three or four months of the year in Brighton.

"It seemed a waste to have the house closed up for most of the year - it deserves to be lived in. We've felt very privileged and special to live here."

Their next project couldn't be more different to the Regency splendour of Kemp Town.

"We're trying to buy a house in Spain. It's by the French architect Charles Garnier who also designed the Opera House in Paris."

But before Mr Naughton moves in, Mr Cooper and his partner plan to say goodbye to the house in the manner it was accustomed to.

Mr Cooper said: "After the duke had the house redecorated by the Craces he threw a lavish party to celebrate.

"Likewise we're going to give one big, final bash."

The house will be open to the public on September 9 as part of an open house weekend.