Billionaire publisher Malcolm Forbes was a man who liked to live large. He had a huge yacht named The Highlander, threw lavish parties across the globe and counted Gianni Agnelli, Gordon Getty, Calvin Klein, Robert Maxwell, Rupert Murdoch, Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump as friends. This “mysterious collector” also owned numerous residences and one of these, Old Battersea House in London, is for sale for the same sum as it was marketed for in 2011.
Often seen with Elizabeth Taylor at his side and described as “living life in the fabulous”, Forbes purchased Old Battersea House in 1971. It had previously been home to and saved from demolition by Battersea Council by the eccentric author and ghost hunter Wilhemina Stirling. She took up a lifetime tenancy on the building in 1931 and used it to house artworks by her sister, Evelyn de Morgan (1855 – 1919).
Grade II* listed since 1954 and adapted during Forbes and subsequently his son Kip’s ownership to showcase a vast collection of Victorian art and antiques, Old Battersea House was built on Tudor foundations in 1699 and was at first known as ‘Terrace House’. It originally had gardens extending down to the River Thames and is rumoured to have been designed by Sir Christopher Wren (1632 – 1723).
Two stories to keep beside you
A barn in Battersea
007’s Lotus Esprit submarine car headlines second day at RM Auction’s annual London sale The term ‘barn find’ is an often used phrase in the motoring world. In the case of a Lotus Esprit submarine car used in The Spy Who Loved Me, it’s more a case of something akin to the American reality […]
Hustling a Hustler
RM Sotheby’s to sell an eccentric wooden Hustler ‘car’ at their Battersea sale This Wednesday in London’s Battersea Park, RM Sotheby’s will sell a plethora of stunning cars and amongst them will be a six wheel, fibre glass 1983 Hustler 6 clad in wood. Offered with an estimate of £20,000 to £30,000 ($26,600 […]
Featuring “handsome classical proportions throughout” and standing within a 110-foot wide walled garden, the 10,100 square foot house includes 4 reception rooms, 10 double bedrooms and 7 bathrooms. It has off-street parking and a garden store but it is sadly overlooked by the adjoining housing estate that was built in its grounds in the 1930s.
Savills seek £12 million ($15 million, €14 million or درهم54.9 million) for Old Battersea House.
Readers have their say
11 comments
Who’d pay £12m to live next to a f**king council estate????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Someone’s having a f**king laugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Knock it down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a lovely story. Such history.
The price is high given it is overlooked and the plot is actually small. It also will need a lot of work given its barely been used in years.
Just £1,188 per square foot. It seems rather cheap to me. Must need a lot of work.
Overpriced and I bet it is riddled with damp given all those trees around it.
I have not commented on your articles for a while. I am disgusted you continue to avoid publishing articles in support of the search for Madeleine McCann and the efforts of dear Gerry and Kate McCann. You truly should stop promoting rich people and instead focus on helping FIND MADELEINE instead!!! FIND MADELEINE, FIND HER NOW!!!
Mathew thinks Katie Hopkins was hard done by in the Jack Munroe debacle…so I doubt he will be too worried about Madeline or the McCann
I am glad not to hear off you and the longer you Trott off the better. The McCanns are looking for a corpse according to the dogs and I believe there was no abduction. Their fund was all about money and a relentless pursuit against Goncalo Amaral which they lost. The fantastic Portuguese police knew there was no abduction.
Thank you thank you thank you for including the 2011 video of Curt DiCamillo (a pal and a wonderful, erudite, witty chap) talking about some of the previous owner’s works of art and royal memorabilia e.g. Queen Victoria’s knickers, that were sold in auction. A real find, Matthew. Good to see it as a (granted, rich man’s) home, not just an empty shell. Beautiful house but too near the cooncil hooses to be immediately saleable.
Went to the sale of the chattels in 2011 (ish) it was I good condition – and no, it is one of a selection of high quality buildings in the area so, no don’t knock it down. That part of Battersea is blighted by really crappy architecture, let’s leave a couple good classical buildings standing instead of replacing it with toy town trash
I visited Old BatterseaHouse in the 1960s when Mrs Stirling lived there. It was fullof her late sisters paintings and William de Morgn ceramics. There was a lot of beautifu period furniture bought by her late husband. Mrs Stirling, who walked with a stick showed us round the main rooms on the ground floor and her butler showed us the rest of the h ouse. It had a wonderful faded atmosphere, cared for but not done up. Alas the art fart always know best these days