Tag: house

Chic Chicheley

Grade I listed Baroque mansion Chicheley Hall in Buckinghamshire for sale for £7 million or 62% less than the current owners have spent on it

Just as historically significant as the £10 million Lilford Hall in nearby Northamptonshire we featured in June, but in far better condition, a Grade I listed mansion in Buckinghamshire has just come to the market for £3 million less.

Chicheley Hall, near Olney is being sold due to the activities there – a combination of a conference venue, hotel and a centre used by the Royal Society – being curtailed due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It is offered for the sum of £7 million – which seems a relative bargain given its current owners paid £6.5 million for it in 2007 and spent a further £12 million on its renovation subsequently.

Constructed on the site of an earlier house destroyed in the Civil War in the 1720s to the designs of master builder Francis Smith, Chicheley Hall became the seat of Sir John Chester, the 4^th baronet. It is of nine bays on three floors upon a raised basement and is described as an “exceedingly rare example” of English Baroque architecture.

“For more than 100 years, architectural historians have waxed lyrical in the pages of Country Life of Chicheley Hall” remarked Penny Churchill when it was placed for sale in June 2007 and since 2009 it has been owned by the Royal Society.

Having carried out a “major programme of repair and refurbishment to turn the hall into a high-quality venue for residential conferences,” the Society created a venue that provided 14 bedrooms suites in the main house, 34 en-suite bedrooms in two Grade II* listed former stable blocks, two lecture theatres, meeting rooms, sitting rooms, dining rooms and reception areas. There is parking for 50 vehicles and an apartment that was used by the centre’s director.

Knight Frank market the 34,928 square foot freehold property as a whole or in three lots complete with 75 acres. They describe the mini-estate as including “beautiful formal gardens, a ‘3 sided’ lake, a walled garden, woodland walks, a Grade II* dovecote and farmland.”

Chicheley Hall is situated 7 miles north east of Milton Keynes and is 50 miles from both central London and Oxford.

The Names & Numbers – Chicheley Hall, Hall Lane, Chicheley, near Olney, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, MK16 9JJ, United Kingdom

September 2020 – For sale for £7 million ($9.1 million, €7.7 million or درهم12.6 million) through Knight Frank.

June 2020 – De Vere Venues permanently closed Chicheley Hall as a conference venue and hotel due to the impact of coronavirus. In a statement to MKFM, the firm remarked: “Sadly the resulting devastating economic impact [of the pandemic] on the hospitality industry, together with heightened operational restrictions, has meant we have taken the difficult decision to close our doors permanently.”

2007 – Sold to the Royal Society for £6.5 million ($8.5 million, €7.2 million or درهم31.1 million). They supposedly subsequently spent £12 million ($15.6 million, €13.3 million or درهم57.5 million) on renovations. These were in part funded by the Norwegian-American business and philanthropist Fred Kavli (1927 – 2013).

June 2007 – Placed for sale for £9 million ($11.7 million, €10 million or درهم43.1 million) through Savills on behalf of Nicholas Beatty, the 3^rd Earl (born 1946).

2001 – Used as a stand-in for Bletchley Park in the feature film Enigma. The building has also been used in other productions including Pride and Prejudice, The Meaning of Life, The Red Violin and Black Beauty.

1952 – Ownership by the Chester family ends when David Beatty, 2^nd Earl Beatty (1905 – 1972), son of First World War naval hero Admiral David Beatty, bought the hall. Of his “major restoration programme,” Penny Churchill remarked: “Interior designer Felix Harbord, perhaps best known for his work at Luttrellstown Castle near Dublin, set out to recreate classic 18th-century interiors, using mainly light colours to accentuate the beauty of the mouldings and panelling. Very sensibly, the earl also added a bathroom to almost every bedroom.”

1939 to 1945 – Chicheley Hall was used by the Special Operations Executive as its Special Training School No. 46, by Czechoslovaks for SOE parachute missions and as a FANY wireless telegraphy school. After the war, the hall was converted for use as a school.

1720 to 1724 – Built by Sir John Chester, 4^th baronet on the site of an earlier mansion to the designs of master-builder Francis Smith of Warwick. According to Country Life’s Penny Churchill, “a total of 955,550 bricks was used in the construction of the house, wings and garden, of which a staggering 85,000 were used for the garden walls.” She added: “For the next four years, Sir John himself paid the various master-craftsmen who worked on the interiors. The result was some of the finest woodcarving, joinery and plaster-work to be found in any English country house of that period. The elegant formal gardens were laid out by George London and Henry Wise, of Hampton Court and Melbourne Hall fame.”

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The entrance hall of the house is impressive. English Heritage remark of it: “Entrance hall with Corinthian surround to front door and triple arched screen with marble columns leading to staircase, said to be designed by Flitcroft when working for Kent. Ceiling painting attributed to Kent.”

The ceiling painting is attributed to William Kent and depicts Herse and her sisters sacrificing to Flora.

Continuing, there is an especially wide staircase beyond.

One of many reception rooms.

The dining room is dominated by wooden panelling.

Another entertaining space.

In its last use as a hotel and conference centre, a total of 48 bedroom suites were created within the property.

This former coach house is currently configured as two large conference suites and a meeting room.

One of two lecture theatres currently on-site.

A conference room.

Another view of the exterior of Chicheley Hall.

Viewed from across the ‘three sided lake.’

An aerial shot of part of the 75-acre mini estate.

And from another angle.

Formal gardens.

A plan of part of the Chicheley Hall site.

September 8, 2020
Five of the Best – Houses for Sports Fanatics

‘The Steeple Times’ discovers five properties that will appeal to serious sports fanatics with a desire to indulge their passions at home that are currently for sale

Whilst most would simply go to a racecourse to watch the horses or to a football ground to cheer on their heroes on the pitch, five homes follow where sports lovers can partake in their very own confines follow:

503 Studio Road, Stamford, Connecticut, USA

£5.84 million ($7.69 million, €6.51 million or درهم28.24 million) through William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty.

A vast 18,000 square foot house on 13.21 acres in Connecticut that is currently for sale cannot be described as a “looker,” but it comes with its own private, professional indoor hockey and skating rink (pictured top). There’s a Zamboni ice resurfacer “for perfect ice” and even heated team benches, a lighted scoreboard, home and visiting team locker rooms and a viewing ‘lounge.’ In addition, there are two guest houses and an outdoor swimming pool.

St. Clements Hall, Terrington St. Clement, Norfolk, UK

£240,000 ($316,000, €267,000 or درهم444,000) through Attik.

Most people looking for a “3-bedroom semi-detached house” are likely to be couples with 2.4 children, but for those in a somewhat different position, a 19^th century, 1,873 square foot former youth hall might appeal. Primarily reconfigured to provide a 27-foot by 39-foot ‘skate bowl’ with 13-foot vertical wall, mini skate park and three 4-foot quarter pipes, the house also more conventionally has an open plan living space, 3 bedrooms and a shower room. Even the snobby girl in Avril Lavigne’s Sk8er Boi song might be impressed; the house has featured in The Sun, on the BBC and in Netflix’s Amazing Interiors.

Tourles Farm Stud, near Lewes, East Sussex, UK

£2.5 million ($3.3 million, €2.8 million or درهم12.1 million) through Windsor Clive International.

Owned by the Kazakhstani phosphorus tycoon Nurlan Bizakov since 2010, Tourles Farm Stud has been part of Hesmonds Stud. Described in TDN Europe as “one of the best presented farms we have offered in recent years” by William Harford of Windsor Clive, the 113.78 acre property “has [only] become available due to the owner’s successful investment in France [at Monfort et Preaux in Normandy]” and comes with a 3-bedroom cottage, a stable barn with 26 boxes and a 4 furlong all-weather gallop.

UNICA, 10697 Somma Way, Los Angeles, USA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=193&v=UDRVhCe8hIc&feature=emb_title

£75.8 million ($100 million, €84.5 million or درهم137.3 million) through Hilton & Hyland.

On and off the market since 2018, this “one-of-a-kind” 41,000 square foot Bel Air house on 1.35 acres includes 8 bedrooms and an astounding 21 bathrooms. There are also 20 garage spaces in an “auto-gallery,” 8 bars, a 36-person screening room and not one, but two 75-foot swimming pools. The pièce de résistance for sports fanatics? A full-sized NBA basketball court.

Kinlochdamph Estate, Torridon, Scottish Highlands, UK

£2.75 million ($3.62 million, €3.06 million or درهم13.30 million) through Goldsmith Estates.

Extending to 4,085 acres, the Kinlochdamph Estate is perfect for those wishing to achieve a Macnab (and bag a salmon, a stag and a brace of grouse within one day). It has a recently refurbished 4-bedroom lodge, red deer stalking, trout fishing on its hill lochs and a small population of grouse, ptarmigan, woodcock and snipe. Income is provided by forestry and a hydro scheme, but any wannabe John Buchan will purely be buying this place for its sporting rights.

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September 7, 2020
Georges Simenon’s ‘House of Happiness’

Tiny French pied à terre on the Côte d’Azur once owned by the ‘Maigret’ author Georges Simenon for sale for just £107,000; he described the property as his ‘house of happiness’

Whilst some of the supposed ‘bargain’ properties we’ve featured recently – such as this £15,000 Edwardian ‘fixer upper’ house in Buffalo, Kansas – are in obscure parts of America and might seem a little off-piste and quirky, an especially quaint £107,000 Côte d’Azur pied à terre will no doubt appeal to literary lovers.

Bought by the Maigret author Georges Simenon (1903 – 1989) in 1956 as a birthday present for his second wife, Denyse Ouimet, and featuring usable space extending to 272.2 square foot, the property includes a reception room, kitchen, bathroom and mezzanine sleeping area. A separate entrance leads to a second bedroom and bathroom.

Offered for sale last year for £161,000, this petite pad in Cagnes-sur-Mer has recently been reduced in price by 34% to £107,00. The selling agents are Emmanuelle Minassian International Real Estate – whose offices are situated directly next door.

The Numbers – 98 Montée de la Bourgade, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Haut-de-Cagnes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA), 06800, France

September 2020 – Reduced in price to £107,000 ($142,000, €120,000 or درهم522,000) through estate agents Emmanuelle Minassian International Real Estate. The cost to fix the roof has been estimated at £12,110 ($16,060, €13,550 or درهم58,975) by the selling agents.

November 2019 – Offered for sale for £161,000 ($213,000, €180,000 or درهم781,000) through estate agents Emmanuelle Minassian International Real Estate.

Pictured top: The former Cagnes-sur-Mer home of Georges Simeon – which he is said to have described as his “house of happiness” – and the acclaimed author himself. The Belgian born writer published over 500 novels and was capable of writing 60 to 80 pages per day. He had at least two dozen pseudonyms and around 550 million copies of his works have been printed.

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Georges Simenon’s ‘House of Happiness’ – The reception room features an open fireplace and tiled flooring.

Georges Simenon’s ‘House of Happiness’ – Georges Simeon somehow managed to live at 98 montée de la Bourgade with his third wife and their three children in the 1950s in spite of it being quite beyond tiny. His initial ‘S’ is still to be found on in the ironmongery on the external staircase railings of the building.

Georges Simenon’s ‘House of Happiness’ – 98 Montée de la Bourgade is situated on a picture perfect side street in Cagnes-sur-Mer. Amongst attractions of the town are the Hippodrome de la Côte d’Azur, a well-known horse racing track, and a 2.5-mile long beach.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_QaT4mLR8E

September 4, 2020
A Hair of the Dog of a House

Detached Edwardian house in New York State for sale for just £744 or 8,400% less than it cost to build in 1906; it is in the place of Tom Cruise’s birth and was home to a famous German police dog in the 1920s

Whilst an alcoholic drink to fix a hangover is often known as a “hair of the dog,” a 2,061 square foot detached house on a plot of 3,600 square foot that is currently for sale is certainly something that is in need of a great deal of curing.

Situated in the Brighton area of Syracuse, NY, the two-storey house has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and last sold for £734 in 2015 is again offered for the same sum. Its asking price equates to a sum of just £2.80 per square foot – a true bargain compared to the £4,909 figure for a Chelsea Barracks, London apartment we featured in June.

Featured first on the Old Houses Under 50k blog as a “fixer upper” yesterday, 214 Colvin Street East was supposedly built by one C. R. Brown circa 1906 to 1908 and represents a “good investment opportunity” or is equally suitable for owner occupancy. It is offered by the Greater Syracuse Land Bank on the condition the condition that the buyer provides proof of funds of £63,200 to cover purchase and renovation.

According to the blog, the house’s best-known previous resident was a German police dog from the First World War. Of the animal, they state:

“In the 1920s, it was home to a dog known as Jack. Jack was born around 1910 (?) and served as a German police dog during World War I.”

“According to an article in the September 11th, 1921 issue of the Syracuse Herald, Jack was there when the German army withdrew from their position at the Hindenburg line in France in October 1918. The German army left behind a great number of dogs which had been used by them in their offensives.”

“Dr. Scott R. Fisher, a Syracuse resident, was at Hindenurg [sic] working with the Red Cross to care for Americans. When Jack spotted Dr. Fisher, he stuck to him and refused to leave his side – ensuring he found a way to be with Fisher his entire way back to base. Dr. Fisher told the paper that, ‘such devotion deserves reward,’ and decided to take Jack back home with him.”

“According to the article: ‘Jack was stowed away in an overcrowded ship which was bringing American soldiers home and where each man was allowed only a certain poundage of baggage. Dr. Fisher shared his own rations with Jack because dog food was not available in the ship’s stores.” When they arrived back in America, the pair settled here on Syracuse’s Southside.’”

The Numbers – 214 Colvin Street East, Brighton, Southside, Syracuse, New York State, NY 13205, United States of America

September 2020 – For sale for £744 ($1,000, €835 or درهم1,354) on the condition the buyer showing proof of funds of £63,200 ($85,000, €71,000 or درهم115,100) to cover the purchase and renovation.

2017 – 2019 – Assessed for tax for the sum of £14,900 ($20,000, €16,700 or درهم27,100) each year.

February 2015 – Sold for £734 ($1,000, €835 or درهم1,354).

Circa 1906 – 1908 – Built at a cost of £2,600 ($3,500, €2,900 or درهم12,900), the equivalent of £68,100 ($91,600, €76,400 or درهم336,400) today.

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The entrance to the house is framed by two Doric columns.

A reception room with an especially manky looking door.

Another room features two sash windows and a ceiling complete with a gaping hole.

The entrance hallway and original staircase (minus a few spindles).

The landing ceiling shows further sign of collapses.

A bedroom plainly previously inhabited by someone named Minnie.

Another room with children’s drawings on the walls (and a buckled floor).

A bathroom where one would most certainly not like to bathe.

The house stands on a street where those that neighbour it are perfectly well presented.

Syracuse is situated to the north of New York and the east of Rochester. Its metropolitan area had a population of 662,000 as of 2010 and has transitioned from a manufacturing area to one primarily focused on higher education, research and healthcare. The city is also well known for its jazz and contemporary music scene.

September 1, 2020
A Mach 3 Fixer Upper
Charming detached Edwardian house in Buffalo, Kansas – the birthplace of the first man to beat Mach 3 – for sale for just £15,000; it comes with 0.5 acres of land, a barn and is in reasonable condition

In England, £15,000 will just about buy you a Ford Fiesta hatchback, but in Buffalo, Kansas, you could get a detached Edwardian house on a plot of 0.44 acres.

Featured on the blog Old Houses Under $50k, 309 North Church Street comprises of a 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom house extending to 2,197 square foot and it comes with a small barn also. It is a “fixer-upper” but it appears surprisingly not in the very worst of states.

Built in 1910, the house comes in at a price of just £6.89 per square foot – which seems a true bargain compared to the £4,909 per square foot Chelsea Barracks, London one bedroom we featured in June – and is described as “very cute” and the “perfect [place] for raising your own chickens.”

Milburn G. ‘Mel’ Apt (9th April 1924 – 27th September 1956) was born in Buffalo, Kansas and graduated from Buffalo High School in 1942. He was killed after separating from the Bell X-2 in his escape capsule during the record-setting flight that exceeded Mach 3.

Buffalo, Wilson County itself was founded in 1867 if you believe Wikipedia. It was “named after the American bison, commonly known as the buffalo.” It grew to be incorporated as a city in 1898 due to the Missouri Pacific Railroad passing through it, but as of 2010 had a population of just 232 people. Mel Apt (1924 – 1956), the first man to attain speeds faster than Mach 3, was born there.

309 North Church Street is offered by Diane Hess of Midwest Real Estate, Inc.

The Numbers – 309 North Church Street, Buffalo, Wilson County, Kansas, KS 66717, United States of America
- August 2020 – For sale for £15,140 ($20,000, €16,800 or درهم73,500) through Midwest Real Estate, Inc.
- 2019 – Tax assessment of £1,840 ($2,431, €2,037 or درهم3,348).
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A Mach 3 Fixer Upper – An internal shot of 309 North Church Street, Buffalo indicates that it might be in basic condition, but it is far from a wreck.

A Mach 3 Fixer Upper – Further empty rooms in the property include character features such as sash windows and wooden floors.

A Mach 3 Fixer Upper – The house a kitchen where you can currently cook on a stove or barbecue and sit on a plastic chair or a fold-up one.

A Mach 3 Fixer Upper – The kitchen cabinets definitely need replacing.

A Mach 3 Fixer Upper – A Google Maps image of the house and barn shows that they were both previously painted red. The plot is open and flat.
August 19, 2020
From Cloth Caps And Clogs to Sophistication

Reader of ‘The Steeple Times’ shares news that ‘up north’ is “no longer “just cloth caps and clogs” and illustrates this with information about the sale of her £1.5 million home

Our readers are important to us and one, Julie Harper of Old Crook Car Farm, Bracewell, Barnoldswick, took the trouble to write in to tell us she thought our publication “great, funny, very true and to the point.” We thank her for her kind words.

Sharing news that she is selling her home for £1.475 million ($1.930 million, €1.630 million or درهم2.691 million), Harper explained she’d purchased what is now a 5,692 square foot detached property almost 30 years ago.

Of it, she remarked: “It consisted of a rabbit infested pile of stone – which included the remains of a demolished farmhouse and a barn in ruins – and in the time since we have lovingly rebuilt it into a 5-bedroom home with indoor swimming pool.”

“Due to my love of horses,” she added, “we have constructed stables, a storage barn and a menage also and we have made a bolthole ‘up north.’ It’s no longer cloth cap and clogs up here, it’s on the up and with people fleeing lockdown London due to coronavirus, this could be a wonderful residence for a family who are able to work from home. People sometimes forget there is actually life beyond Birmingham – but there really is.”

Continuing, Harper remarked of her house – which is on the market with Dacre, Son & Hartley – “it is like living in a five star hotel, you could even add a helicopter pad in the field.”

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From Cloth Caps And Clogs to Sophistication – The entrance hall.

From Cloth Caps And Clogs to Sophistication – A sitting room complete with a bar.

From Cloth Caps And Clogs to Sophistication – Another reception room.

From Cloth Caps And Clogs to Sophistication – The kitchen.

The indoor swimming pool.

The terrace of the pool.

One of five bedrooms.

Another bedroom.

A rather charming bathroom.

The gardens.

Another view of the setting.

The stables.

The manege.

The entrance to the property and its garaging. The late Percy Shaw would have been very happy with such.

August 16, 2020
A Grand Greek Revival
Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists

A grand Greek Revival style, 4,860 square foot house in a “quaint” part of Illinois that was originally settled by Swedish colonists has gone on sale for just £173,000 or an astonishing £35 per square foot. In Chelsea Barracks, London, to give a contrast, a 713 square foot apartment is currently on the market for £3.5 million or a staggering £4,909 per square foot.

Featured on the Facebook group For The Love Of Old Houses on Monday and built in 1856 to house offices and apartments for the Bishop Hill Colony trustees, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill is currently used as a bed and breakfast named the The Gallery Inn, but could easily be “very simply turned into a private residence” according to realtor Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty.

The L-shaped house, which is of stucco over brick construction, stands on an open plot of 0.26 acres and includes 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. There is also potential to create further accommodation on the “partially finished” third floor and at ground level there is a space that has been used both as a shop and apartment.

Presented in good condition but with a somewhat odd decorative style that might not appeal to all, the present business is described as “very successful.” It charges around £100 per room per night and of it, reviews are extremely positive on TripAdvisor. One suggests the property to be “peaceful with a calming effect” whilst another claims it to be “one of the best kept secrets in Illinois.”

Bishop Hill itself is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places and had an entirely white population of 128 according to the 2010 census. It is situated along the South Edwards River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, and finds itself with Chicago to the east, Des Moines to the west and St Louis to the south.

The settlement is described as having originally been “a utopian religious community which operated as a commune.” Its founder, Swedish pietist Eric Jansson (1808 – 1850), wanted to establish “the New Jerusalem” but was himself shot dead by another member in the local courthouse after prophesising about Jesus drinking in his father’s kingdom. Some followers expected him to rise on the third day, but, unsurprisingly, he did not.

The Numbers – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America
- August 2020 – Relisted for sale for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000) through Navigate Realty, an increase of +173% on the 2008 sale price.
- June 2019 – Listed for sale for £198,000 ($258,000, €219,000 or درهم948,000) through Sutton & Associates, an increase of +212.7% on the 2008 sale price.
- March 2008 – Sold for £63,400 ($82,500, €70,100 or درهم116,000).
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The entrance hallway of the Greek Revival style house features a staircase that features what a ‘For The Love Of Old Houses’ member described as a “craft store special feature wall.”

Also in the double entrance hall is an ‘Exit’ sign.’ Some noted this to be “bizarre.”

A sitting room is currently filled with Victorian furniture that would not look out of place in an episode of 1980s television series version of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ that starred the late Jeremy Brett.

An empty room with a corner fireplace in the Greek Revival style house.

Another room complete only with a single chair and a couple of lamps.

The kitchen is also decidedly basic.

Yet another empty space.

Member of ‘For The Love Of Old Houses,’ Doris Collier, pointedly remarked: “What’s with the sinks being outside the bathrooms?”

On The Gallery Inn’s website, this room is listed as ‘The Yellow Room.’ It is described as “cheery” and “overlooks the village park.”

On The Gallery Inn’s website, this room is listed as ‘The Yellow Room.’ It is described as “cheery” and “overlooks the village park.”

Another bedroom.

And another.

A modern shower room.

One Anna Lewis Joyner commented: “How stately! Reminds of a [sic] English estate.”

A view of the Greek Revival building from the side with an outbuilding behind.

The extent of the building is clear from this shot of the rear.

The setting of the Greek Revival house on the village street.

A map illustrating the location in Illinois.
August 4, 2020
A Mini White House in Mississippi
Colonial Revival ‘Mini White House’ on an 8-acre plot in Mississippi for sale for just £299,000 or just £56 per square foot; the mini mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Lauded as a “southern beauty” and a “most extravagant expression of Colonial Revival architecture,” neoclassical 240 South Extension Street in Hazlehurst, Mississippi was built between 1906 and 1907 to the designs of the architects Barber & Kluttz of Knoxville, Tennessee. It does have a slight look of the White House and it certainly seems a bargain at just £299,000 compared to the £15 million Texan mansion we featured in March.

The 5,376 square foot house stands on a plot of 7.79 acres and includes 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It is described as having a “long history of family ownership” and is currently offered for sale through agents McIntosh & Associates LLC, Realtors.

Named ‘The Robert L. Covington House’ in honour of a gentleman of the same name (whom was born in 1875 and died in 1960), the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and is noted as having “the popular French taste of the decade in its finishes and furnishings.” Mahogany abounds and especially noteworthy is the variety of fireplaces throughout.

Hazlehurst is situated 30 miles south of the Mississippi state capital, Jackson. Pulitzer Prize winning Crimes of the Heart playwright Beth Henley was born in the small city (population circa 4,000) and in the 1960s, there was much civil rights activity and “violence against blacks in this area” according to Wikipedia.

Pictured top: The grand front elevation of ‘The Robert L. Covington House’ could be mistaken for a miniature version of The White House.

The Numbers – The Robert L. Covington House, 240 South Extension Street, Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Mississippi, MS 39083, United States of America
- July 2020 – For sale for £299,000 ($378,000, €335,000 or درهم544,000) through McIntosh & Associates LLC, Realtors.
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A plaque was erected on the house in 1984 by the United States Department of the Interior stating that it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The South Portico of the White House is not hugely dissimilar from the front elevation of ‘The Robert Lowery Covington House.’

Agents McIntosh & Associates LLC Realtors describe the entrance porch as “amazing.” Of the house, they state: “If only the walls could talk they would tell us of history of long ago. You will fall head over heels with this beautiful one of a kind historic home. You would actually feel as if you owned a piece of history.” It does have a slight feel of Twelve Oaks, the plantation home of the Wilkes family in ‘Gone with the Wind.’

The entrance hall and staircase are notable for their grandeur.

They open directly to several reception spaces and feature Doric columns.

The current owner appears to have cleared out the majority of their furnishings.

Another entertaining space.

A sunroom with a view over the lawned gardens.

The kitchen is certainly basic in its current configuration.

One of four bedrooms.

Another bedroom.

There is one bathroom on the ground floor and two more on the first floor.

The house has a number of original fireplaces in a variety of styles.

The exterior is described by the agents as being a “most extravagant expression of Colonial Revival architecture.”

The building impresses from its principal angle.

It is less grand from the rear.

But more commanding from the street.

Looking from the porch into the neighbourhood.

The property includes a total of 7.79 acres of gardens and grounds.

Jackson, Mississippi is 30 miles to the north whilst New Orleans, Louisiana is 160 miles to the south.

This YouTube video tour of Hazlehurst, Mississippi gives an impression of the city and its citizens in 1947.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qchP6dk88dY
A video tour of the town (with its name incorrectly spelt as ‘Hazelhurst’). One comment left below it remarks: “Nicely kept, clean, tidy, old, open town” and adds: “I liked it, but it just looks so dead.”
July 12, 2020
Cheaper Than Fiction – A Bargain in The Boltons
Cheapest, smallest house on the best side of one of London’s most sought after streets, The Boltons, comes up for sale; the tardis like building was home to novelist-politician Jeffrey Archer and his scientist wife Mary in the 1970s
- No. 24a The Boltons is one of the smallest houses on “the fourth most expensive street in Britain,” but it is still anything but insubstantial at 3,123 square feet.
- The tardis-like Victorian townhouse is wedged between two mansions and was converted from a coach house for Aston Martin racing team driver Noël Cunningham-Reid in 1960.
- Novelist-politician Lord Archer and his scientist wife Dame Mary owned the property between 1972 and 1976.
- The couple were forced to sell the house after Jeffrey Archer supposedly “lost over £400,000 in a bad investment” in the summer of 1974.
- Jeffrey Archer subsequently made a fortune as a novelist and then after a glittering career in politics, was jailed in 2001 for perjury and perverting the course of justice.
- The house was sold again subsequently for £3.8 million in 2007 and is now for sale for £6.5 million; the average price of houses on the street is £32.5 million according to Zoopla.
- Other residents of The Boltons have variously included Arab royals, Madonna and Sir William Gilbert, one half of Gilbert and Sullivan.
In May 2017, we featured 6 The Boltons after its asking price was slashed from £39.5 million to ‘just’ £30 million, whilst in April 2015, a more modern house at the upper end of the street named One Boltons Place sold for £51 million on an asking price of £55 million. More recently in January 2018, when 22 The Boltons was sold to a British family for £40 million that sale was described as “one of the biggest deals in the last 12 months… a notable one.” Its asking price had been an even more punchy £57.5 million.

The Boltons was developed in the 19^th century by the architect George Godwin (1813 – 1888) on 11.5 acres of land previously used as market gardens. The oval shaped street consists of 13 Italianate style houses on the “favoured” western crescent and 15 more in addition on the “less sought after” eastern side. In the centre, there is a communal garden and the church of St Mary The Boltons and whilst many residents employ private security, a number of the mansions are locked up, unloved and unoccupied also.

Now, an opportunity has arisen for someone to not “buy the worst house on the best street,” but instead “buy the cheapest house on the best side of the best street” in the form of what initially appears as a narrow townhouse wedged between two very much larger semi-detached villas. No. 24a The Boltons is actually deceptive as it not only widens as it goes backwards, but also provides a very surprising 3,123 square foot of usable accommodation over four floors.

The entrance hall opens into a library area and a feeling of space is provided by a glass enclosure around the upward staircase.

The drawing room space beyond has a vast window looking out westwards onto the gardens of the houses of The Little Boltons beyond.

The lower ground floor dining kitchen is surprisingly bright and has a double height ceiling in part.

Laid out currently to give 3 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, the “highly unusual house with off-street parking” includes a 50-foot long interconnecting entrance hall, library and reception space on the ground floor. At the rear, that opens to a partially double height dining kitchen below measuring 36-feet in length.

Originally used as a coach house to No. 24, in 1960, a year after the main house was converted into five flats, No. 24a was extended and turned into a house in its own right. Two storeys were added to the designs of architects Knapton & Deane on the instructions of an Aston Martin racing team driver named Noël Cunningham-Reid (1930 – 2017) and what resulted was a three-storey, two bay residence.

No. 24a was home to Jeffrey and Mary Archer in the 1970s and the street features in the spectacularly successful novelist’s 2008 bestselling work A Prisoner of Birth and his 2015 ‘Clifton Chronicles’ series novel Mightier than the Sword. It was whilst living here that the couple’s two sons were born and they supposedly only sold what Dame Mary later described to a court in 2001 as their “lovely” home after “hugely incautious” investments almost bankrupted them. “We’ve explored the further reaches of ‘for better and for worse’ than most couples,” the solar power conversion expert subsequently added.

Agents Knight Frank seek £6.5 million or £2,081 per square foot for 24a The Boltons and whomever buys it will certainly be able to laud that they live in one of the best addresses in London without it being a work of fiction. In Hyacinth Bucket-esque fashion, however, they won’t, of course, bring up that they actually live in the cheapest and smallest house there.

The Names & Numbers – 24a The Boltons, London, SW10 9SU, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, United Kingdom
- July 2020 – For sale for an asking price of £6.5 million ($8.2 million, €7.3 million or درهم30 million) through estate agents Knight Frank, a figure 71.1% higher than the 2007 sale price.
- March 2007 – Sold for £3.8 million ($4.9 million, €4.2 million or درهم17.6 million).
- 1972 to 1976 – Home to Lord Archer and Dame Mary Archer DBE, then known as Mr Jeffrey and Dr Mary Archer. Their sons, James and William, were born during this period in 1972 and 1974.
Other Notable Residents of The Boltons

Between 1999 and 2006, Madonna owned a house in The Boltons and other well-known residents have included Sir Julian and Dame Paddy Ridsdale.
- 8 The Boltons – Douglas Fairbanks Jr. KBE (1909 – 2000), actor, lived there in the 1950s with his wife Mary Lee Hartford, former wife Huntington Hartford, the A&P supermarket heir.
- 14 The Boltons – Otho Stuart (1863 – 1930), Shakespearean actor-manager, lived there, exact dates unknown.
- 19 The Boltons – The Rt. Hon. Anthony Crosland (1918 – 1977), Labour Party politician, author and one-time lover of Roy Jenkins, lived there, exact dates unknown.
- 20 The Boltons (also known as ‘The Grove’) – Colin MacInnes (1914 – 1976), author, lived there, exact dates unknown. For a time in the 20^th century, the building also served as Our Lady’s Convent along with 21 The Boltons.
- 24 The Boltons – Sir William Gilbert (1836 – 1911), playwright and one half of Gilbert and Sullivan, lived in the house between 1877 and 1884 and wrote six of his best known comic operas there beginning with The Sorcerer in 1877, HMS Pinafore in 1878, The Pirates of Penzance in 1879, Patience in 1881, Iolanthe in 1882 and Princess Ida in 1884. Gilbert moved from No. 24 The Boltons in 1884 to a newly built house nearby at No. 39 Harrington Gardens.
- 29 The Boltons – Used as an infant school for fifteen years after the Second World War.
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The kitchen itself is dominated by a central island unit.

A lower ground floor room described as a “snug” is used presently as a space to watch television.

The first floor consists of a master bedroom suite with a bedroom with an undemised balcony, a dressing room and a shower room.

The dressing room itself.

One of two bedrooms on the second floor.

The other second floor bedroom.

There are two bathrooms and two shower rooms in the house.

The floor plan shows how the tardis like building gets bigger as you go further back into it.

The situation of 24a The Boltons is on the “favoured” western crescent of this ritzy street.
July 10, 2020
Mackintosh Icebergs

Iceberg home formed in part from the former Chelsea studios of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife for sale for sum 1,178% higher than in 2012

The grand location used as Uncle Monty’s London home in Withnail & I – the 1987 classic dark comedy starring Richard E. Grant – was West House at 35 Glebe Place in Chelsea. That building was sold to François Pinault, the owner of amongst other things Christie’s, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, for £20 million in 2011, whilst last month we featured an equally fabled residence in a street once home to artists, but now the preserve of billionaires – the £6.95 million former residence of the now in exile oligarch Sergei Pugachev at 53 and 54 Glebe Place.

Yesterday, the Daily Mail reported that Pugachev’s publicity craving ex-partner and mother of three of his children, ‘Karen-esque’ Countess Alexandra Tolstoy, had finally been evicted from that property. “It’s not our choice to leave, it’s painful and oh so sad” blubbed this batshit bonkers woman on Instagram, but now there’s another house for sale in the street that will make headlines and this time because of its connections to an esteemed art nouveau architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868 – 1928).

Glasgow born Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his Black Country born wife Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh (top) and a replacement plaque commemorating their association with the building that is located on the garage door at 43 Glebe Place. A plaque was first erected to mark the centenary of the Glasgow School of Art in 2009, but was “removed at some point between 2009 and 2015.”

Bizarrely sold in November 2012 for a sum £55,000 lower than in February that year, 43 Glebe Place has just come to the market for £14.95 million through agent Johnny Turnbull of The London Broker – a sum 1,178% higher than eight years ago.

Now vastly larger due to the fact that it has been ‘iceberged’ with the addition of an entirely new ‘mega-basement’ level (of similar concept to that created under the five houses opposite during their controversial merger by Monsoon and Accessorize owner Peter Simon in 2015), 43 Glebe Place is formed from the merger of a simple cottage and two artists’ studios. It now extends to 3,871 square foot in total over three levels.

One section of the property formed from the artists’ studios – known at that time as 43a Hans Studio – was used by Mackintosh from August 1915 to circa 1923 whilst his wife, Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh (1864 – 1933), occupied the adjoining space.

The studios were entered through “a small high walled courtyard” which now forms the garden of the newly created house and during this period, the couple lived nearby in Oakley Street, SW3 also. They had been forced to move to London after being banned from Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, where they had previously lived, as Mackintosh had been suspected of being a German spy due to his “affinity with Austria.”

Of their time there, writing in 2016, Mackintosh expert Sheila Harris remarked:

“As with most studios the ceilings were high, in order, most probably, to capture as much as light as possible and although they were fairly austere, with the furniture, artefacts and decorative panels originally housed in their Glasgow home, the place would soon have become an extension of their artistic lives.”

“Let’s not forget that whilst Mackintosh was working quietly in his studio another, completely different, scenario was unfolding outside his studio door. A resident of Glebe Place wrote: ‘Never shall I forget how suddenly Chelsea seemed to become an armed camp… Army motor lorries were rattling noisily along the normally quiet Embankment, and those hot nights we lay awake listening to the heavy rumble of laden troop-trains, all night long… It was a heart-rending sight to see the young men of all ranks going up the steps of Chelsea Town Hall to enlist.’”

“Clearly Mackintosh and Margaret embraced life in Chelsea and made the very best of their new-found circumstances. They adopted their new surroundings, making their studios an inviting, hospitable place to spend their days, often in the company of like-minded people. They certainly faced up to the challenges of living in the capital city which was the target of so many bombing raids.”

“Whilst little evidence can be found on the daily routine of the Mackintoshes’ life in London, we know that they… spent their days in the adjoining studios in Glebe Place, and many evenings were enjoyed at the Blue Cockatoo [a long since gone local hostelry in Oakley Street that was popular also with Augustus John and other “artistic Chelsea denizens”] meeting friends and colleagues for dinner… We do know that Margaret held parties, including children’s parties, at the studios.”

Given what the estate agent Turnbull terms a “three year, multi-million pound rebuild by the current owners, creating an exquisite and self-indulgent London home for themselves,” it is doubtful that the Mackintoshes would now recognise their former home. It now provides a 21-foot by 16-foot reception room with a ceiling heght of 14-feet and a study area with a mezzanine beyond, a 30-foot long dining kitchen, 3 bedroom suites, a wine cellar and a gym with a steam room. There is a somewhat narrow garage, off-street parking for an additional car, a 24-foot by 23-foot garden and a 22-foot long roof terrace also.

In their marketing literature, The London Broker interestingly point out also of the freehold house: “This property currently has mixed use. The buyer should speak to their solicitor and seek advice to confirm that this could significantly reduce SDLT.” Who said the rich don’t like a bargain?

The Numbers – 43 Glebe Place, Chelsea, London, SW3 5JE, United Kingdom

July 2020 – For sale for £14.95 million ($18.90 million, €16.67 million or درهم69.40 million) through agents The London Broker.

November 2012 – Sold for £1.17 million ($1.48 million, €1.30 million or درهم5.43 million)

February 2012 – Sold for £1.225 million ($1.548 million, €1.366 million or درهم5.687 million).

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A large entrance hall is formed out of the majority of the ground floor of the original, surprisingly unlisted cottage.

Out of one of the studio spaces, a vast dining kitchen with doors to the courtyard garden has been created. It is bright and airy as a result of its ceiling lights.

Beyond is a reception space, again with studio windows above.

Another view of the room.

A dividing glass partition leads to a space intended as a study. It has a mezzanine above.

The master bedroom suite is to be found in the original cottage. It has its own terrace.

The bathroom of the master bedroom also has a door onto the terrace.

In the newly recreated ‘iceberg mega-basement’ daylight is brought in courtesy of a lightwell. A most useful wine cellar can be seen at the end of this corridor.

The other two bedroom suites are located on the lower level.

Also below ground is a large gym. It seems an ideal space for health conscious super-rich yummy mummy types to work out their frustrations in.

The courtyard garden (looking towards the original house and garage) is quite charming and restful.

The courtyard garden (looking towards the studio conversion section).

A floor plan of the very much enlarged property.

A BBC video briefly mentioning Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s time at 43 Glebe Place. Video courtesy of The 78 Derngate Northampton Trust.

Flamboyant Uncle Monty plied Withnail and Marwood with booze in his drawing room at 35 Glebe Place in the film. His intentions were less than decent. In 2011, the house was sold for £20 million to the billionaire businessman François Pinault – reportedly the 27^th richest man in the world as of October 2019.

July 9, 2020