Site icon The Steeple Times

Pushed-Up Price For Pushy Pad – Former Home Of Prince & Princess Michael Of Kent Goes On Sale For 91% More Than It Sold For In 2006

Pushed-Up Price For Pushy Pad – Former Home Of Prince & Princess Michael Of Kent Goes On Sale For 91% More Than It Sold For In 2006

Former Gloucestershire home of Prince and Princess ‘Pushy’ Michael of Kent goes on the market for £11 million; it last sold to Labour peer Lord Drayson for £5.75 million in 2006

In October 2013, “as they stifled giggles,” Princess Michael of Kent FLS told ‘Queen of Gorbals Gobbledygook’ Lorraine Kelly and Aled Jones on ITV1’s Daybreak that of one her residences, the rather ritzy Kensington Palace, was “a bit like Harrods.” The daughter of a Nazi then cheerfully chirped: “There are lots of courtyards; one of the family called it the ‘aunt heap’ because all the aunts live there, it’s like living in a terrace.”

 

Illustrating how she wasn’t exactly au-fait with Coronation Street style living, the daughter of a one-time Nazi continued: “[William and Kate] have been living there of a while in a little in a little cottage. William and Harry grew up next door to us, so we have always seen them.”

 

Now, with news that former Gloucestershire home of the princess and her husband, Prince Michael of Kent, GCVO, CD, KStJ, is back on the market comes a reminder of the once lavish lifestyle of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousin.

 

Grade I listed Nether Lypiatt Manor, near Stroud – purchased for just £300,000 by the controversial German born ‘Princess Pushy’ in 1981 after her 1978 second marriage to Prince Michael – had to be sold in 2005 after the couple’s finances came under fire. Accused of “squandering” taxpayers’ money and exploiting their royal status for profit, the pair reluctantly “downsized” and now ‘simply’ occupy a rather palatial wing of Kensington Palace.

 

Complete with a “grandiose William and Mary staircase” and “charming… sash windows, towering chimneys, hipped roofs and gate piers and railings,” an offer for the then 36-acre ‘mini estate’ was rejected from the artist Damien Hirst in 2005. The wacky-verging-on-very-weird Noel Edmonds, however, decided the crib wasn’t for him; of it, he remarked: “It is the last sort of house that I would find suitable – not least because it has a road running right along the front of it. And I like my privacy.”

 

Sold by Savills for £5.75 million in April 2006 after a price reduction from £6 million to £5.5 million to the wealthy Labour peer The Right Honourable The Lord Drayson FREng PC, Nether Lypiatt Manor – which is reportedly haunted by the ghost of a notorious ‘hanging judge’ – has now been completely renovated. Subsequently, in September and October of 2006, Lord Drayson sold off various contents that had belonged to the ‘Rent-a-Kents’ at an auction for charity in Cirencester.

 

Nether Lupiatt Manor now stands on an increased plot of some 96 acres and the possibility of developing a vineyard there has been investigated by selling agents Knight Frank. A somewhat punchy guide price of £11 million has been set.

 

Editor’s Note – Unlike as is the case in many publications, this article was NOT sponsored or supported by a third-party. Follow Matthew Steeples on Twitter at @M_Steeples.

 

A message from our editorial team – Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus and the cost-of-living crisis impacts our advertisers.

 

If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by supporting our work via Patreon.

 

The front elevation of Nether Lypiatt Manor, Lypiatt, Brimscombe & Thrupp, Near Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL6 7LS, United Kingdom. The “perfect square of only 46-foot” house is Grade I listed and was built primarily between circa 1690 and 1717 by an unknown architect; later additions were made in the 20th century in the 1920s by the Lutyens and Elizabethan vernacular inspired architect Percy Morley-Horder for the then owner C. W. Woodall.
Prince Michael of Kent featured in ‘The Steeple Times’ in December 2016 when his 1965 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 4.2-litre FHC came up for sale. Of it, the late Queen’s cousin remarked: “This was a beautiful motor car, immensely quick, and probably the most enjoyable car I have ever owned. I believe that every man has a special place in his heart for one woman above all others, and also for one car. In my case I think probably my E-Type Jaguar was the most satisfying and exciting car in my life – so far.” He is pictured here in it with the Earl of March and Kinrara, Charles Gordon-Lennox, and his 56th in line to the throne daughter, Oxford and Brown educated Lady Gabriella Kingston, is also shown standing next to it.
Princess Michael of Kent sitting with her children Lord Frederick Windsor and Lady Gabriella Kingston in the grounds of the house; a Jaguar outside the residence in the 1980s. Nether Lypiatt Manor, at a time when the IRA were most active, was considered a major security risk for bombing due to its close proximity to the road.
An image of Nether Lypiatt Manor prior to it having roof lights and additional wings added.
A notice of an auction of items from the manor – then described as the “haunted house” – on Friday 16th November 1923 at the instruction of Corbett W. Woodall, Esq.
On 19th May 1934, the house, then the residence of Mr & Mrs Gordon Woodhouse, featured in a six-page write-up in ‘Country Life’ magazine.
An aerial shot of the house prior to the grounds being altered by Princess Michael of Kent. The royal added a garden of box-edged beds of yellow ‘Princess Michael of Kent’ roses to the front, western façade and a symmetrical knot patterned garden to the eastern façade that leads onto a circa 80-year-old avenue of “slender lime trees” that is known as ‘Cathedral Walk.’
On occasions in times past during the tenure of ownership of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the public were even allowed access to tour the grounds. One can only imagine what the rather particularly waspy princess made of the arrival of the “great unwashed” at her country manor.
The architectural style of Nether Lypiatt Manor – though on a lesser scale – was said to have been inspired by the now National Trust owned Ashdown House in Ashbury, Lambourn, Berkshire. Intended originally for the ‘Winter Queen’ Elizabeth of Bohemia, though she died before construction began in 1622, this hunting lodge has been leased by the singer-songwriter Pete Townsend since 2010. Public access is restricted to the stairs and roof of the 8,000 square foot property is available on limited days only.

The Names & Numbers – Nether Lypiatt Manor, Lypiatt, Brimscombe & Thrupp, Near Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL6 7LS, United Kingdom

May 2023 – Placed for sale for £11 million ($13.8 million, €12.9 million or درهم50.8 million) through agents Knight Frank, a sum 91% higher than its 2006 sale price though a total of 96 acres of land – 60 acres more of land than in 2006 – are included in this asking price.

 

September – October 2006 – Lord Drayson auctioned off items of bric-a-brac, sporting items, antiques and pictures owned by Prince and Princess Michael of Kent at Moor, Allen & Innocent, Cirencester and donated all proceeds to charity.

 

April 2006 – Sold to The Right Honourable The Lord Drayson of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea FREng PC and his wife, the former Elspeth Bellhouse, for £5.75 million ($7.23 million, €6.72 million or درهم26.54 million), a sum 516% higher than the inflation adjusted 1981 sale price.

 

“Controversially large donor” to the Labour Party Paul Drayson (born 5th March 1960) is listed on Wikipedia as “a British businessman, amateur racing driver and Labour politician.” He is a father of five, blind in one eye since birth, chairman of the Oxford based Drayson Technologies Ltd. and describes himself as “a car nut and government minister.” His car collection includes an Aston Martin Vanquish, an Aston Martin DB9 and a Lotus Elan.

 

At the time, The Scotsman reported:

 

“The artist Damien Hirst and Noel Edmonds, host of Channel 4’s Deal or No Deal, were among a string of potential buyers who came to view the house, but mystery surrounds the eventual buyer, who is understood to have exchanged contracts last week.”

 

“A property expert who has viewed the eight-bedroomed mansion, said it needed sprucing up. He said: ‘It’s full of drapes, scent and all that. The pictures and portraits are a distraction. It’s a seriously pretty house on the outside, but it needs all the clutter taking out – it’s got dog-eared.’”

 

Noel Edmonds was unimpressed with the property’s lack of privacy. He said: ‘It is the last sort of house that I would find suitable – not least because it has a road running right along the front of it. And I like my privacy.’”

 

February 2006 – Asking price reduced to £5.5 million ($6.9 million, €6.4 million or درهم25.4 million).

 

April 2005 – Offered for sale on behalf of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent for £6 million ($7.5 million, €7 million or درهم27.7 million) by agents Savills with 36 acres of land.

 

February 1981 – Sold to Prince and Princess Michael of Kent for £259,745 ($326,465, €303,441 or درهم1.2 million) or the equivalent of £934,180 ($1.2 million, €1.1 million or درهم4.3 million) today.

 

Of the ghosts said to haunt the house, Princess Michael remarked:

 

I have no doubt that many old houses have some kind of spirit presence or ghost and, if Nether Lypiatt Manor has such, he, she or it, must be benign and well disposed. We as a family, our guests and our pets have always felt a welcome from the house from the day we arrived, and have been extremely happy living here.

 

1923 to 1931 – The house is restored and expanded by the architect Percy Richard Morley-Horder.

 

1923 – Sold to Marsala fortune heir Gordon Woodhouse and his wife, a harpsichordist named Violet Gordon Woodhouse. They were said to have lived there in a “menage a cinq” and “left their own imprint by extending the house with the addition of the north-west pavilion, as well as improving the interior.”

 

Of Violet Gordon-Woodhouse, the Mystical Times blog declared:

 

She lived a very bohemian and hedonistic lifestyle at Nether Lypiatt. She was the first harpsichordist to have her playing recorded and broadcast, she had prodigious abilities in her playing the harpsichord and clavichord. She was married but in name only and took on several lovers, both male and females, some of whom resided with her and her husband at Nether Lypiatt.

 

The ghosts were widely spoken about during Violet’s life in the house and when her nephew took up residence there, after Violet’s death, the blacksmith’s curse was blamed for any bad luck such as divorcees. Accidents. deaths of pets etc.

 

Her own family background was also notable in the sense of how she inherited her father’s immense wealth. It is said that her two unmarried sisters, to whom her father left all his wealth and possessions to, were murdered by their butler so the money went to Violet.

 

1914 – Sold to Corbett Woodall, who “modernised and improved the house.”

 

1717 – Finished for Judge John Coxes’s son, Judge Charles Coxe, after the former’s death. The building was said to be “modeled on Ashdown House, the National Trust property in Berkshire.”

 

1690 – 1703 – Built by a very pro “hanging judge” named Judge John Coxe (alternatively spelt ‘Coe’). One of his sons is said to have hanged himself in the house.

 

Of him, the Mystical Times blog declared:

 

The house has a beautiful set of wrought iron gates and the folklore here is that Judge Coxe had a case before him and the accused was a talented blacksmith. It is said that Judge Coxe offered the blacksmith a deal; make me the most perfect iron gates or you will be hanged for your crime. It is never stated what crime this blacksmith was accused of, only that the blacksmith agreed to undertake this task. The judge added that if the blacksmith were to fail, he would be hanged.

 

So, the blacksmith, under the threat of being executed, started making these perfect wrought iron gates. He spent weeks making the gates until he felt they were, in fact, perfect. When the gates went up, Judge Coxe went to look at them and found a small imperfection. It was then that the blacksmith was hanged but before he was, the blacksmith cursed the judge. His house and lands. Any bad luck that the occupants of Nether Lypiatt was blamed on this curse.

 

It’s also said that the son of the judge hanged himself in the house but there are no records which show this to be true. There was one living thing that Judge Coxe seemed to very much love and that was a horse called Wag. It is said that this horse lived to a ripe old age and that he was a very clever animal indeed.

 

The occupants at Nether Lypiatt, would attach panniers to the horses saddle with shopping lists inside and Wag would make his way over to Stroud and the shopkeepers would greet the horse and look into the panniers for the lists then put those items into the panniers. Wag would then return back to Nether Lypiatt and the shopping would be done!

 

There is a bronze obelisk amongst the trees by the house and there is an inscription to the horse and it read:

 

My name was Wag that rolled the green,

The oldest horse that ever was seen,

My years they numbered 42,

I served my master just and true.

 

The judge was considered hateful to blacksmiths but fond of animals by the townsfolk of Stroud and you can see why.”

 

“The house and its lands are haunted by the hanged blacksmith and Wag the horse and it is said that on every January 25th, that the ghost of the blacksmith sits on top of a ghostly horse (said to be Wag) and crashed open those iron gates, with the blacksmith wailing out loud. This is said to have been the date the blacksmith lost his life.

 

Nether Lypiatt Manor – More Imagery…

The eastern elevation of this residence was described as “perfect in every way” by the architectural historian James Lee-Milne; the National Trust employee had wanted to purchase Nether Lypiatt Manor in the 1950s, but supposedly couldn’t afford it. Going further, in his work ‘English Manor Houses,’ the chief editor of ‘Burke’s Perrage’ and ‘Burke’s Landed Gentry’ Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd added of the Grade I listed manor house: “It’s comfortable, relaxing; nothing too flashy or clever.”
The southern elevation of the home of Prince Michael of Kent and his wife Princess Michael of Kent between 1981 and 2006.
A view of the building from a woodland walkway.
This paneled drawing room is situated on the first floor of Nether Lypiatt Manor.
There are several studies and a library in the house also.
The main dining room currently features a formal table arrangement to sit ten.
Another view of the room.
The primary staircase of Nether Lypiatt Manor today and in an undated older photograph.
The current owner, Lord Dyson, has spent significant sums completely renovating the house. Amongst improvements have been new kitchens and bathrooms.
The primary bedroom suite now has two adjoining en-suite bathrooms.
Another of the eight bedrooms in the main house.
Accommodation is spread over four floors.
The bedrooms as previously presented.
There are now six modernised bath and shower rooms across the four levels.
The front garden and the adjoining land across the lane. Of it, Knight Frank remarks: “Extending in all to about 96 acres including the gardens, the land surrounding Nether Lypiatt Manor not only provides protection and privacy, but also great character with a mix of flat grassland and undulating country with mature woodland. For the equestrian enthusiast, there is a manège and a number of post and rail fenced pasture paddocks to the north of the house and outbuildings. Forming part of the view to the west of the house are about 60 acres of relatively flat pasture land divided by a number of stone walls. Within this ringfenced block of land is the stable yard and stone barn, currently in use as garaging. The current owner has invested time and research to establish the potential for a vineyard on part of the land to the west. With very positive recommendations from viticulturalist and the relevant approvals, this area of the land presents an interesting opportunity for the production of vines. Together, the paddocks, woodland and farmland combine with the magnificent gardens and grounds around the house to present an exciting and impressive compact country estate.”
In a courtyard area to one side of Nether Lypiatt Manor is an informal outdoor dining and sitting space.
Commenting of the gardens, Knight Frank add: “The gardens at Nether Lypiatt Manor are truly exceptional. The classic symmetry of the house is complimented by its perfect position within the well thought out formal gardens which extend beyond to the beautifully presented woodland and pasture surrounding the gardens. Designed and created by eminent garden designers over the years, including inspiration from the socialite gardener Norah Lindsay, John Sales (the National Trust’s Head of Gardens) and Rosemary Verey, not to mention the extensive input from the current owners and their passionate gardeners, the almost magical feel of the structure, texture and colour created by the planting is present throughout the gardens. The focus was to create outside spaces incorporating further living areas to what is an architecturally special property. A number of garden rooms have been created with each one having its own special merits and distinct character and atmosphere.
Nether Lypiatt Manor also has an outdoor swimming pool and a tennis court.
The estate agents wax lyrical of a woodland walkway: “A wonderful vista leads from the house to a fabulous lime avenue – a majestic ‘cathedral’ of limes culminating at an ancient sycamore tree, impressive in stature and an intriguing focal point.”
Nether Lypiatt Manor’s coach house provides a housekeeper’s cottage, a gym, garaging and a 3-bedroom flat.
Additional outbuildings are used for stabling and no doubt to house Lord Drayson’s no doubt extensive car collection.

The Somewhat Strange Words Of The Former Baroness Marie-Christine Riebnitz… ‘Princess Pushy’ Tells It As She Sees It…

Of herself and her approach to life:

“Don’t forget I’m not English. English people maybe don’t behave like we Europeans do.”

 

“I am not a qualified historian, but rather a teller of stories from history.”

 

“I have great lineage… The Duke of Burgundy started the Order of the Fleece in 1430. And, of the first 20 members, 17 are my ancestors. Even Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers [the first a French queen and mother of three kings, the second the mistress of Henry II of France] – I descend from them both. I realised afterwards that Mountbatten thought I’d be good for my husband. He was our Cyrano de Bergerac.”

 

“Kissing babies and cutting ribbons, I tell you, it bores me rigid.”

 

“When I came back from my honeymoon, I was informed that it was not appropriate for a princess to be involved in trade. This came from the court. ‘What about my income?’ That was my problem, I was told.”

 

“I have different ways of sayings and doing things.”

 

“I’ve got a better background than anyone else who married into the royal family since the war, excepting Prince Philip.”

 

“I even pretended years ago to be an African, a half-caste African, but because of my light eyes, I did not get away with it, but I dyed my hair black.”

 

“I’m a workaholic. I’m a Capricorn. It’s my nature and I’m convent educated. I sew better than any nanny we’ve ever had.”

 

“Look, I was taught, and I taught my children, if they ever came back from school saying: ‘Oh, so and so’s father got a helicopter, it’s not fair,’ I’d say: ‘Fair? Whoever said life had to be fair? Is it fair that you live in Kensington Palace? That you’ve each got a pony? There an awful lot of kids without a pony, you know.’”

 

Of the old and the young and the rules of life:

“The people love to see happy, young people and I think the older generation are a bit boring for most people.”

 

“Back in the days of the colonies, there were rules that were very good.”

 

“There is a law against discrimination in England, but there is a different law for the royal family.”

 

Of being told by her press secretary that she would be forced to give up Nether Lypiatt Manor and cut back:

“Of course, I miss the big gardens we had at our country house, but it became very expensive to run… We couldn’t afford it. For the first time that terrible word came into my life, when our press secretary said: ‘Ma’am, you have to downsize.’ It was the worst word I’d heard in ages.”

 

“We’ve cut back dramatically. I mean, we never go out to dinner unless we go to somebody’s house. We never go to restaurants. That’s too extravagant.”

 

“Well, I love EasyJet. It’s the only direct route to Biarritz. We always fly tourist-class anyway in Europe. For long-haul, we go club.”

 

‘Princess Pushy’ of her shopping habits:

“I think I have only walked down the high street once in my married life… [I’m] either catalogue or couture, but most the time I’m too mean to buy new clothes.”

 

“I like to look nice, but I don’t care about fashion.”

 

“I don’t have the figure for fashion and I’ve never heard anyone say I was a fashion icon.”

 

On cooking:

“I always knew I would have a cook when I married.”

 

“I cook. Well, if I’m giving a dinner party, I get in help.”

 

To a group of black people in a restaurant in New York in 2004:

“Enough already! You need to quiet [sic] down! You should remember the colonies. Back in the days of the colonies, there were rules that were very good.”

 

‘Princess Pushy’ on correspondence:

“Incidents happen that mean more mail. The birth of children, obviously, a sudden religious marriage, the tragic loss of a cat. I had over 2,000 letters when my cat disappeared.”

 

Of her beauty regime and her personal appearance:

“I am not very high-maintenance when it comes to beauty.”

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever let myself go in public. I don’t even know what it would mean. I mean, I let myself go on horseback by really galloping until, I think, I’m going to die.”

 

Of her relationship with her husband and children and her preference for sleeping alone:

“[We sleep in separate quarters so we are] fresher for each other…. You won’t see each other being cross or saying: ‘I can’t do this up. It’s too tight.’”

 

“My mother, when I married, said you must have separate bathrooms and separate bedrooms. That was the only sure way of keeping a marriage alive because it was an invitation as opposed to just being there and that makes it more romantic.”

 

“Oh, I had two nannies. God, yes.”

 

“I have been together with my husband for 33 years. Romance can still be there if you don’t see each other brushing your teeth. There’s something very nasty about brushing your teeth and then all that flossing.”

 

Of her husband and son’s thoughts about her behaviour:

“There’s a lovely character in Under Milk Wood called Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard and she’s incredibly clean and tidy. She really is unbearably tidy and clean and I terrorise my husband when he comes in sometimes from shooting and there’s awful dead birds all over the hall that he calls me Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard.”

 

“I have never considered myself English. Both my husband and my son say I don’t understand English humour and they don’t always understand what I think is funny or when I’m being ironic.”

 

Of her holding hands with all sorts of people:

“I hold hands with all my friends. I don’t think that’s being intimate at all.”

 

‘Princess Pushy’ on her relationship with a subsequently murdered Russian billionaire named Mikhail Kravchenko – whom she was spotted “stroking” the cheeks of in Venice in 2006:

“Of course, Mikhail finds me attractive and beguiling. Men are charmed by me, and in return I am a very tactile woman. Why can’t people show some respect? Years of breeding must be worth something.”

 

‘Princess Pushy’ of her son, Lord Frederick Windsor and his wife, naming her grandchild ‘Maud’:

“Freddie loves the name and so do lots of other people, but I don’t. I will get used to it, you get used to everything.

 

Of Spanx underwear:

“Makes [my] legs bulge out.”

 

Of foxes and other four-legged animals:

“[I] unashamedly hate [foxes].”

 

“Yes, I love cats, I love dogs, I love all animals. Anything on four legs with fur on more or less qualifies.”

 

“I have a pooper scooper, a long-handled thing with a little shovel.”

 

“What do you actually mean when you say human rights? Animals don’t have rights in that sense.”

 

On being Catholic:

“I’m a Catholic, you know, not very good news!”

 

“Our children are very much remaining Anglican and I very much wish to remain and shall remain a Catholic.”

 

On the late Diana, Princess of Wales:

“A bitter, nasty and strange woman… That silly girl next door… Jealous… [Prince Charles just] married a womb.”

 

On Prince Harry having turned up at a fancy dress party wearing a Nazi costume:

“Nobody would have got excited [had he worn the hammer and sickle].”

 

After being told that “rank among female baboons is hereditary”:

“I always knew that when people who aren’t like us claim that hereditary rank is not part of human nature, they must be wrong. Now you’ve given me evolutionary proof!”

 

‘Princess Pushy’ on breeding:

“The English take the breeding of their horses and dogs more seriously than they do their children. God forbid that the wrong drop of blood should get into their Labrador. But their children marry everywhere.”

 

“And sometimes people say: ‘Oh well, we all descend from Adam and Eve.’ Nut do you descend from Charlemagne directly? Do you descend from Saint King Louis IX? I do.”

 

Exit mobile version