Category: OPULENCE & SPLENDOUR

Luxury and the arts From houses to cars and from Hockney to van Dyck, a profile of the best and the worst

The Bonnie Banks O’ Loch Lomond

Traditional Scottish cottage in 2.5 acres beside Loch Lomond for sale for £75,000; it comes with several catches

A detached, stone-built cottage with outbuildings and 2.44 acres on the east bank of Loch Lomond in Scotland has gone on sale for just £75,000 ($97,000, €84,000 or درهم358,000) or 75% less than the price of an open air parking space in Hyde Park Gardens, London.

Doune Cottage, however, comes with several catches. Aside from being totally derelict, the property can be accessed only by ferry or private craft and foot from the West Highland Way footpath. Renovation works to make the property habitable thus will be both costly and complicated to orchestrate.

Aside from inspiring the famous 1841 song The Bonnie Banks O’ Loch Lomond, the setting is described by selling agents Galbraith as “idyllic and private” and the area as “well suited to the outdoor enthusiast”.

July 21, 2017
Lavish Lawford

1961 Ghia fastback coupé originally owned by actor Peter Lawford to be auctioned

Actor, producer and socialite Peter Lawford (1923 – 1984), the illegitimate son of Lieutenant-General Sir Sydney Lawford, KBE (1865 – 1953, AKA ‘Swanky Syd’) and the then wife of one of his officers, May Aylen, was a member of ‘The Rat Pack’ and at one-time brother-in-law to John F. Kennedy. He was the last person to speak to Marilyn Monroe, appeared in Ocean’s Eleven (1960) and now a 1961 Ghia L 6.4-litre originally owned by him – described as “one of the finest-finished automobiles in the world” – is to be sold at auction in August.

Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra in the original ‘Ocean’s Eleven’

Offered with an estimate of £230,000 to £288,000 ($300,000 to $375,000, €260,000 to €326,000 or درهم1.1 million to درهم1.4 million) and having cost the punchy sum of $13,500 new in 1961 (the equivalent of $111,000, £85,000, €96,000 or درهم408,000 today), the fastback coupé to be offered by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on 18^th to 19^th August is one of just 26 built and sold. It is the first production chassis to have rolled off the line and is one of just a few cars to have been specially modified for members of ‘The Rat Pack’ including not only Lawford but also Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

Opulent beyond belief, the car was restored by its current owner from 2006 to 2009 and now boasts an interior with Bentley specification leather, a special gauge cluster and air conditioning. It is offered for sale publicly for the first time and is described as “deserving of a star now, as in 1961.”

July 19, 2017
Gothic Grandeur

Oxford’s only Strawberry Hill Gothic house for £2.15 million in spite of needing complete renovation

A house built in the Strawberry Hill Gothic style in Oxford has gone on sale for £2.15 million ($2.80 million, €2.43 million or درهم10.29 million) in spite of needing complete renovation.

Constructed circa 1840 – 1850 on the site of an earlier house, The Priory in Iffley Village has a battlemented stuccoed front on rubble with 19^th century Gothic traceried windows, a crenelated parapet and a Welsh slate mansard roof. It is described as being Oxford’s only example of this flamboyant style of architecture and was at one point run as a school run by Ursuline nuns.

Grade II listed since 1972, the 4,817 square foot property includes 6 reception rooms, a first floor kitchen, 6 bedrooms and 4 basement rooms but just 1 bathroom. It stands on a private, mature plot of 0.93 acres adjoining the Hawkwell House Hotel and is offered by agents Butler Sherborn.

July 19, 2017
Great Minus Garden

San Francisco landmark mock Tudor house with stunning ‘Great Room’ for sale for £12.2 million – in spite of no longer having its garden

Built in 1909 as a wedding gift from Morris Meyerfeld, a partner in San Francisco’s Orepheum Theatre, to his then 19-year old daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband Leon Roos – of Roos Brothers Men’s Clothing – 3500 Jackson Street in the city’s Presidio Heights district has been placed on the market for £12.2 million ($16 million million, €14 million or درهم58.8 million).

Consisting of 10,313 square foot of accommodation and constructed in half-timbered, mock Tudor style, Roos House at 3500 Jackson Street is a listed architectural curiosity that includes 6 reception rooms, 7 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms. It centres around a ‘Great Room’ with 20-foot ceiling heights and also has 2 terraces, a wine cellar, a double garage and off-street parking.

The house, which was designed by Bernard Maybeck (1862 – 1957) – an Arts and Crafts architect responsible for the domed Palace of Fine Arts, a “vision of how Roman style could fit in a California context” – is being sold by Dr. Jane Schaefer Roos, the widow of Leslie Roos, son of Leon Roos. It sadly lacks a rear garden as this was sold off “after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake to raise funds for repairing the rest of the house” according to the Curbed San Francisco blog.

In 1992, in her book Bernard Maybeck: Visionary Architect, Sally Woodbridge described the interior of Roos House. She remarked:

“Panels of mauve plush edged with gold gimp harmonize with redwood walls. Redwood battens and moldings have Gothic profiles. Indirect lighting and diffused light from wall fixtures softly illuminate surfaces and details, while hanging chandeliers sparkle against the dark heights of the roof timbering. Tables of dark oak and chairs cushioned with rose velvet supplement the furnishings selected from the owner’s collection of medieval pieces. Wall coverings, light fixtures, and furniture – even the heraldic crest of the owner’s initial ornamenting the entrance door – were fashioned from designs by Maybeck.”

Launched to the market last week, Nina Hatvany has the listing.

July 18, 2017
Five of the Best – ‘Star Cars’ at Silverstone

A selection of five cars owned and previously owned by ‘personalities’ to be auctioned at the Silverstone Classic Sale in July

On the 29^th and 30^th July, Silverstone Auctions will sell both classic and contemporary cars at their Silverstone Classic Sale in Northamptonshire. Amongst them are five cars owned or previously owned by the Sultan of Brunei, the actor Rowan Atkinson, the singer Lulu, the television chef Gary Rhodes and the musician Elton John.

1996 Aston Martin DB7 i6 Volante – £28,000 to £32,000

($37,000 to $42,000, €32,000 to €37,000 or درهم‎‎135,000 to درهم‎‎154,000)

Supplied new to the Sultan of Brunei and kept by him until 2005, this British Racing Green and Chancellor red leather interior Volante is being marketed as a “future modern classic.” It comes with a “huge history file” as well as its royal pedigree.

2015 Land Rover 90 Celebration Heritage Edition – £38,000 to £45,000

($50,000 to $59,000, €43,000 to €51,000 or درهم‎‎183,000 to درهم‎‎217,000)

One of the last 400 traditional Land Rovers made and offered on behalf of its current owner Rowan Atkinson CBE, this example has just 2,260 miles on the clock. The actor and comedian is selling as he has recently upgraded to the 110 four-door version.

1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5-litre coupé – £100,000 to £120,000

($131,000 to $157,000, €114,000 to €137,000 or درهم‎‎481,000 to درهم‎‎578,000)

Delivered new to then wife of Maurice Gibb, Marie McDonald McLaughlin Gibb (AKA ‘Lulu’ and now Lulu Kennedy-Cairns OBE), this “last of the line classic” was kept by the Boom Bang-a-Bang singer for three years. It has had two additional owners since and needs its air conditioning recommissioning.

2006 Ferrari F430 F1 – £125,000 to £155,000

($164,000 to $203,000, €143,000 to €177,000 or درهم‎‎602,000 to درهم‎‎746,000)

Owned by television chef Gary Rhodes from new and having covered just 558 miles in its 11-year life, this Ferrari is capable of a top speed of 196 miles per hour and 0-62 miles per hour in just 3.7 seconds. It has been serviced four times and is described as “a unique opportunity to buy a real collector’s piece.”

1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona – £525,000 to £575,000

($688,000 to $753,000, €600,000 to €657,000 or درهم‎‎2.5 million to درهم‎‎2.8 million)

Owned by Sir Elton John from 1973 to 1975 and supposedly bought off the back of the success of his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, this Daytona has covered 81,675 miles from new and is said to be “presented in excellent order.”

For more details about the auction and viewing, click here.

The Wing Building, Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN.

July 16, 2017
A Cottage in the Clouds

New York penthouse complete with a ‘Nantucket style cottage’ on the roof goes on sale

A New York penthouse with a difference has gone on sale for £2.7 million ($3.5 million, €3.1 million or درهم12.9 million).

Situated in Minthorne House at 72 East 1^st Street in the East Village, a fourth to sixth floor 3,000 square foot walk-up comes with not only a duplex with a ‘great room’ with 18-foot ceiling heights but also a ‘Nantucket style roof cottage’ with weathered shingles, a cupola and a wrap-around terrace.

Offered by realtors Compass, the 4 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom penthouse is one of just three residential units in a building constructed in 1841. It truly is a one-of-a-kind and is described as having “low monthlies” also.

July 15, 2017
Mr Men & Mr Mills

Kent estate that has been home to both actor Sir John Mills and ‘Mr Men’ and ‘Little Miss’ creator Roger Hargreaves for sale for £5.5 million

Offered in March 2012 for £6 million with 230 acres ($7.7 million, €6.8 million or درهم28.4 million), a Kent estate that was the home of the Academy Award winning actor Sir John Mills CBE (1908 – 2005) in the 1950s and 1960s and subsequently of children’s author and illustrator Roger Hargreaves (1935 – 1988) from 1982 to 1988 has gone on sale for £5.5 million today with 203.77 acres ($7.1 million, €6.2 million or درهم26.1 million).

Roger Hargreaves and Sir John Mills

Situated just 35 miles from London, Grade II* listed Sussex House Farm at Cowden, near Tunbridge Wells dates to 1580 and extends to 6,665 square foot. It has 5 reception rooms, 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and comes with a converted barn and three cottages.

Renovated by the current owners, the estate also includes a swimming pool, tennis court, farm buildings, stabling, indoor and outdoor maneges and acres of “picturesque rolling countryside on the edge of the Kent, Surrey and Sussex borders” according to agents Knight Frank.

July 11, 2017
Expensive Shit

‘SHIT’ to be sold at Christie’s in South Kensington; it comes at quite a price

A painting which simply depicts the word ‘SHIT’ is to be sold at Christie’s in South Kensington, London this month.

Offered with an estimate of £2,000 to £4,000 ($2,590 to $5,180, €2,260 to €4,520 or درهم9,470 to درهم18,940) in spite of having been painted with household gloss, the work by Kent born, New York based artist and filmmaker Sarah Morris (born 1967) is 153 centimetres by 244 centimetres and simply reads: ‘SHIT’ in capital letters.

Other works by Morris are displayed at Gloucester Road tube station, the V&A and the Tate Modern in London, the Hamburger Bahnholf in Berlin, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

Christie’s will auction the work, which is dated 1996 on the reverse, on 19^th July. It was acquired by the current owner from Jay Jopling in London.

Sarah Morris with another of her works; she is described as having a style that uses bright color fields and graphic line work, often referencing elements of architecture and taking titles from bureaucratic institutions.

July 9, 2017
Breaking For Gold

Thatched seaside cottage in West Sussex for sale; it has a plot laid out in the style of the Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winning garden of 1936

A thatched seaside cottage on what has been described as “the Sussex Riviera” has gone on sale for £3.25 million ($4.19 million, €3.67 million or درهم15.39 million) through agents Savills.

Having the look of something you might also find in the Hamptons in America, The Breakers on the Willowhayne Estate at East Preston, near Littlehampton was built in 1936 in the Arts and Crafts style and restored over the last nine years by the current owners.

Providing 6,006 square foot of accommodation over three floors, the house includes 4 reception rooms, 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. It stands on a 0.75-acre beachside plot laid out in the plan of the winning garden at Chelsea Flower Show in 1936 and has an outdoor swimming pool – built in 2010 – also.

A neighbouring house, owned by one of the original question setters for the game Trivial Pursuit, burnt to the ground in January 2014.

July 9, 2017
A Slumping Square

Eaton Square penthouse offered for £825,000 or 30% lower sum than it was marketed for two years ago; it comes with several catches

A penthouse in Eaton Square, Belgravia has gone on sale for £1.925 million ($2.483 million, €2.178 million or درهم9.121 million) in spite of being held on a lease with just 16 years remaining and being in a building with a Blue Plaque to the paedophile politician Lord Boothby (1900 – 1906).

1 Eaton Square was home to Lord Boothby until his death in 1986

The fourth floor lateral flat – complete with colourful wallpaper and furnishings that would make even Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen blush – on offer at 1 Eaton Square spans two buildings and was previously offered for £2.750 million ($3.548 million, €3.111 million or درهم13.029 million) two years ago. It totals 1,202 square foot and includes a reception room, a dining kitchen, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a roof terrace.

For sale through Savills, the Grade II listed, portered apartment is subject to a service charge and ground rent totaling £10,000 per annum ($12,900, €11,300 or درهم47,400 per annum) also.

July 9, 2017