Written by 
An architect was stabbed to death in his riverside London townhouse in the early hours of this morning.
Paramedics tried to save Mark Geoffrey Talbot, but the 75-year-old was pronounced dead in his £3.5million home in Putney, south-west London.
Officers were called to the ivy-covered Thames-side house at 3.36am. And last night Scotland Yard detectives were questioning a 30-year-old man known to the victim who was arrested on suspicion of his murder.
A police cordon remained outside overnight as forensic officers investigated. The Met said a post-mortem examination was due to take place today.
They added that no one else was being investigated and there was no wider threat to the public.
One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: ‘I have never seen anything like it.
‘This has always felt like such a safe place. It’s a really affluent area and you would just never expect it.’
Mr Talbot ran architectural firm Stoutheart Ltd for more than 30 years.
A 75-year-old man has been stabbed to death at a multi-million pound property in south-west London. Pictured: Forensic investigators at the scene on Deodar Road following a fatal stabbing
Scotland Yard said officers were called on Friday at 3.36am to the £1.8m property on Deodar Road, Putney, following reports of a knife attack
Paramedics tried to save Mark Geoffrey Talbot, but the 75-year-old was pronounced dead in his £3.5million home in Putney, south-west London
In 1987 he bought an 80ft Grade II-listed folly in Chichester, West Sussex, which overlooks the Isle of Wight and the English Channel. It was built for Lord Halifax in the 1760s and is named the Racton Monument.
The monument, designed by architect Theodosius Keene, was originally built to host banquets on the ground floor and provide views of the Solent from the tower.
The crumbling folly is said to be haunted, with locals reporting seeing flying bricks and faces appearing in its windows.
Mr Talbot once applied for planning permission to turn the Georgian Gothic tower into a dwelling but this was refused in 2020 by the South Downs National Park Authority.
The crumbling monument had become plagued with flytippers and illegal raves, as well as ‘undesirable and sometimes illegal gatherings’, Mr Talbot had said in his application.
In London today Detective Superintendent Amanda Mawhinney said: ‘I am aware that people in the community may feel shocked following this.
A post-mortem examination is due to take place on Friday and police await formal identification
Detective Superintendent Amanda Mawhinney, from the South West Command Unit – which covers Putney, said: ‘We are currently supporting the family of a man who was sadly killed in the early hours of this morning’
Local MP Fleur Anderson wrote on x to express her sympathy for the victim : ‘Very shocked and saddened to hear about the death of a 75 year old man in Putney. I am in contact with the police’
‘We believe this to be an isolated incident and there is no wider threat to the public.
‘Although we have made significant progress by making an arrest, I would like to make it clear that our investigation does not stop here.
‘We need the local community to help us understand what happened in the early hours of this morning. We are appealing for anyone who was in the area at around 3am and that saw or heard anything unusual to contact us as soon as possible.
‘You may notice a higher police presence within the area today whilst we carry out our inquiries.
A scene is in place as well as road closures.
‘If you feel the need to raise anything with our officers, then please feel free to speak with them whilst they are in the area.’