The London: North edition of the Pevsner Architectural Guides describes Beechwood as "An uneventful two-storeyed stucco house, with two canted bays on the garden side, altered and added to".

[2] The grounds of Beechwood are 11 acres (4.5 hectares) in size, situated in Metropolitan Open Land and contain several other buildings including "extensive garaging" and "guest and staff cottages, a squash court and gatehouses".

The total habitable area of the property came to 3,018 square metres (32,488 sq ft)[5] Beechwood was the home of the Liberal Party politician and financier Lewis McIver.

[11] In September 1966 members of the Highgate Society wrote to The Times to warn of the "imminent threat of speculative development" that hung over the "slopes of the Beechwood estate".

Development work costing £400,000 started on Beechwood without necessary planning permission in September 1977, to build a 'royal bedroom suite,' a kitchen extension and a covered walkway called the "Queen's entrance".

[19] The ownership of Beechwood House was transferred by Usmanov into an Irrevocable trust prior to the imposition of sanctions against individuals connected to the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2022.

[19] A spokesperson for Usmanov said that he was "[not] able to manage them or deal with their sale, but could only use them on a rental basis" and that he " ... withdrew from the beneficiaries of the trusts, donating his beneficial rights to his family".

[19] In 2010 a planning application was filed by a company registered in the tax haven of the Isle of Man for a "Roman-style bathing complex" in the grounds of the property that would include a new indoor swimming pool, sauna, and gym.