Tag: property

The Seashell

Circular shaped Scottish holiday cottage with just one room for sale for staggering sum of £250,000

A five-star holiday cottage on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula on Scotland’s west coast with just one room has gone on sale for offers over £250,000 ($331,000, €281,000 or درهم1.2 million).

Shaped like a seashell and of a style akin to something out of either The Hobbit or Teletubbies, ‘The Seashell’ was built to make the most of the views it enjoys over Loch Sunart and the Morvern Hills beyond.

The wood clad building is primarily formed from natural materials, including honed tree trunks from local forests, and an eco friendly turfed roof dotted with wild flowers. Accommodation consists of an open plan living-sleeping-dining-kitchen with a double spa bath, a separate wet room, cloakroom and utility room.

Aside from 0.2 acres of surrounding land, The Seashell is available either with or without an additional 0.5 acre plot that that comes with full planning permission for an additional dwelling.

A larger adjoining 3-bedroom contemporary house on a 1.19 acre plot, Aspen Lodge, is also for sale. Offers over £450,000 ($596,000, €506,000 or درهم2.2 million) are sought for it and a closing date of Tuesday 21^st November at 12 noon has been set for offers for both properties by agents the Galbraith Group.

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November 17, 2017
A Modern Beauty

“One of Britain’s finest 20th-century country houses” has been placed for sale for £20 million; it comes with 530 acres and was built by the late businessman Sebastian de Ferranti in the 1980s

One could imagine being in the early 18^th century or in Italy even on first taking a look at the Palladian style Henbury Hall, near Macclesfield in Cheshire. However, as Moliere said: “One is easily fooled by that one loves” and in reality this 12,496 square foot beauty was actually constructed between 1980 and 1986.

The vision of the buccaneer businessman and patron of the arts Sebastian de Ferranti (1927 – 2015) and based upon Palladio’s Villa Rotunda at Vizenza, the 6-bedroomed main residence stands on the site of an earlier mansion demolished in the 1950s. It was designed by the architect Julian Bicknell in conjunction with Felix Kelly and David Mlinaric, was constructed by Tarmac Construction and is faced with warm-toned limestone from north east France. The estate also includes a Grade II listed dower house, five further houses and cottages, a Grade II listed and stable block and courtyard.

The late Sebastian de Ferranti

Henbury Hall during construction

A depiction of the original Henbury Hall in 1707

The front elevation of the current Henbury Hall with parkland beyond

Aside from 12 acres of immaculate gardens with a series of lakes, there is a 200 year old landscaped park, woodland, agricultural land, a beautifully designed swimming pool, a tennis court and a polo field.

Selling agents Savills offer the Henbury Hall Estate as a whole for a guide price of £20 million – a world away from the £9,000 sum the estate sold for in 1872 (the equivalent of £934,000 today).

November 11, 2017
A Wheel Window

Grade I listed Tudor open hall house in West Yorkshire for sale; it comes complete with a replica cabin from a 1920s ocean liner and an ‘apple and pear wheel window’

Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near the Rochdale Canal in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, Wood Lane Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor open hall house that has recently gone of sale for £750,000 ($980,000, €842,000 or درهم3.6 million).

Centred around a two-storey open hall with a gallery over, the 7,950 square foot property also includes 5 reception rooms, a study, a bespoke pine kitchen with an AGA, 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, cellars and a double garage.

Aside from such things as embattled parapets, gargoyles, decorative plasterwork and paneling, the building – which dates to 1649 – features an unusual circular window known as a ‘rose wheel’ or ‘apple and pear’ window. One of the bedrooms was decorated in the 1940s with the insertion of the contents of a 1920s ship’s cabin and though described “in need of remedial work,” this fine building could easily be crafted back into a very fine residence.

Edkins & Holmes are the agents handling the sale.

The house was marketed some time ago with 3 acres of land and in better condition; this land is not mentioned in the current marketing material

The undoubted star feature of Wood Lane Hall is its ‘rose wheel’ or ‘apple and pear’ window

The insertion of the contents of a 1920s ship’s cabin makes this a most unusual bedroom

Wood Lane Hall in times past (date unknown)

A drawing of the property

A floor plan of the house

November 4, 2017
Highs and Lows in Hyde Park

Pint-sized flat in Knightsbridge goes on sale for ambitious sum of £5,813 per square foot; it was offered for the even more crazy sum of £7,027 per square foot in 2013

The owners of an apartment in the edifice of vulgarity that is One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge plainly have no belief in Brexit and increased stamp duty having affected the property market given they have just put the 989 square foot space on the market for the punchy price of £5.75 million ($7.65 million, €6.58 million or درهم28.11 million).

Offered effectively for £5,183 per square foot ($6,900, €5,928 or درهم25,342 per square foot) by agents Strutt & Parker, the third floor space was last marketed in June 2013 with what appears to be identical interior design for £6.95 million ($9.25 million, €7.95 million or درهم33.99 million). It consists of a 26’2” by 12’10” reception room with a champagne bar, a 9’2” by 6’4” kitchen and an 18’3” by 10’6 bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and comes with a single parking space and basement storage room.

A similar 988 square foot apartment on the fourth floor – which had been repossessed by an Irish bank – was marketed for £5.25 million ($6.99 million, €6.01 million or درهم25.68 million) or £5,313 per square foot ($7,071, €6,077 or درهم25,980 per square foot) in September 2013.

November 1, 2017
A Silo in SoHo

Penthouse in SoHo, New York for sale for 48% more than it was marketed for in 2007; it comes come complete with structures resembling a barn and a silo on its roof

This week the popular New York real estate blog 6sqft reported that a 1,250 square foot condo loft had gone on sale for £2.018 million ($2.649 million, €2.282 million or درهم9.726 million). What makes it unusual is that it comes with structures resembling a silo and a barn on its roof deck.

Described as being “in need of updating” but featuring ceiling heights of upto 20-foot, the propery includes living and dining spaces along with an open plan “sleeping nook”, walk-in closet, an office area and a bathroom on one of its two levels. Above, one finds an 800 square foot outdoor space with a built-in bar and pergola. The apartment was previously offered for sale in 2007 for £1.367 million ($1.795 million, €1.546 million or درهم6.590 million).

The penthouse at 118 Wooster Street is within a 6-storey, 13 unit building and is offered to the market by City Realty. Of it, the firm comments: “You won’t be able to duplicate this unit anywhere in Manhattan. This quiet space can be configured to your exact needs [and the roof deck offers] potential for a second-level addition.”

October 29, 2017
A Messed-Up Mansion

Dilapidated Grade II* listed South Yorkshire Georgian mansion Hickleton Hall for sale for a sum 25% lower than it was marketed for in 2014 but 185% more than it was valued at in 2016

Empty country houses become liabilities and in the case of Hickleton Hall in South Yorkshire, the result of years of neglect will likely be either further decline or conversion into flats.

A neglected and boarded-up Hickleton Hall, Hickleton, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN5 7BB in 2016

Offered for sale in 2015 for £2 million (at that time complete with its since separated stable block), this Grade II* listed Georgian stately home was built between 1745 and 1748 of limestone ashlar for a banker named Godfrey Wentworth. It was subsequently home to the Whig politician and Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Wood, 1^st Viscount Halifax from 1846 to 1885 and then used by the army during the Second World War.

Converted first to a girls’ school in the 1940s, Hickleton Hall became a Sue Ryder Home in the 1960s. That closed in 2012 and in the years since fate has been anything but kind to the building. Described on a dedicated website as “eye-catching” but affected by subsidence and fissures caused by coal mining, the “asbestos riddled” structure has been targeted by vandals and thieves.

The 34,000 square foot building was valued at a sum of between £525,000 and £825,000 in 2016 but is now for sale for £1.5 million through agents Fisher German. Their marketing brochure – which uses images of the mansion in better times – lists it as now coming with just 14.72 acres of land and planning permission for conversion into 20 apartments.

Hickleton Hall – The Numbers

October 2017 – For sale for £1.5 million ($2 million, €1.7 million or درهم7.3 million) through Fisher German.

February 2016 – Valued at £525,000 to £825,000 ($693,000 to $1.1 million, €589,000 to €926,000 or درهم2.5 million to درهم4 million) by Christie & Co. Remedial work to restore the hall estimated at least £1.75 million ($2.3 million, €2 million or درهم8.5 million).

April 2014 – For sale for £2 million ($2.6 million, €2.2 million or درهم9.7 million) through Hamptons.

October 24, 2017
Wealthy Wilton

Six-storey Belgravia residence with controversial business connections goes on sale for 22% less than it was marketed for in 2015 and 3,497% more than it sold for in 1997

A 6,961 square foot freehold terraced townhouse in Belgravia has gone on sale for £25 million or 3,497% more than it was sold for in 1997.

4 Wilton Crescent – which sold in 1997 for what now seems like the paltry sum of just £695,000 – was marketed two years ago for £32 million and provides 5 reception rooms, 9 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms and 2 garages in an adjoining mews house.

Featuring traditional interior design by Robert Kime – decorator to the Prince of Wales – the property featured in court papers in December 2015 in the context of a dispute between a lawyer turned secretive property speculator named Glenn Maud and his former associate Robert Tchenguiz. Said to be at one-time worth £4.5 billion at the height of his success and originally from Sheffield, this businessman and his wife reportedly spent some £6 million renovating the house but was ordered to live on £500 per week in 2012 by a Guernsey court.

4 Wilton Crescent is now offered by Knight Frank.

4 Wilton Crescent – The Numbers

October 2017 – On the market for £25 million ($32.8 million, €27.9 million or درهم120.5 million) through Knight Frank.

March 2016 – On the market for £30 million ($39.4 million, €33.5 million or درهم144.6 million) through Beauchamp Estates.

December 2015 – On the market for £32 million ($42 million, €35.7 million or درهم154.2 million) according to court documents. Owner Glenn Maud reportedly spent £6 million ($7.9 million, €6.7 million or درهم28.9 million) on “improvements” to the property.

September 1997 – Sold for £695,000 ($912,000, €775,000 or درهم3.3 million).

October 24, 2017
In the Round

C-shaped glass and stone house complete with a Grade II listed set of Druid stones for sale for £7 million; it sits next door to the £140 million home of the fugitive billionaire financier Andrey Borodin

A C-shaped 20^th century house in 43 acres of parkland has gone on sale for £7 million ($9.2 million, €7.8 million or درهم33.9 million).

A set of Grade II listed ancient stones named the Druids Altar forms part of the estate

Templecombe House is the neighbour of the £140 million Park Place Estate

Park Place is owned by the fugitive Russian oligarch Andrey Borodin

Situated next to the Park Place Estate – bought by the fugitive Russian billionaire financier Andrey Borodin for £140 million ($185 million, €157 million or درهم678 million) in 2011 and used in the 2007 film St Trinian’s – Templecombe House, near Henley-on-Thames extends to 3,014 square foot and includes 2 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and an indoor swimming pool. It also has garaging for 2 cars and comes with a 1 bedroom Victorian gate lodge, a hard tennis court and views towards the River Thames.

Described as being of a “striking curved design” and featuring large picture windows, the most unusual part of the estate comes in the form of a set of Grade II listed ancient stones named the Druids Altar.

Whilst a Russian court ordered Park Park Place be seized from Mr Borodin in May 2016, Templecombe House is offered to the open market by agents Savills.

October 22, 2017
In the Round

C-shaped glass and stone house complete with a Grade II listed set of Druid stones for sale for £7 million; it sits next door to the £140 million home of the fugitive billionaire financier Andrey Borodin

A C-shaped 20^th century house in 43 acres of parkland has gone on sale for £7 million ($9.2 million, €7.8 million or درهم33.9 million).

A set of Grade II listed ancient stones named the Druids Altar forms part of the estate

Templecombe House is the neighbour of the £140 million Park Place Estate

Park Place is owned by the fugitive Russian oligarch Andrey Borodin

Situated next to the Park Place Estate – bought by the fugitive Russian billionaire financier Andrey Borodin for £140 million ($185 million, €157 million or درهم678 million) in 2011 and used in the 2007 film St Trinian’s – Templecombe House, near Henley-on-Thames extends to 3,014 square foot and includes 2 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and an indoor swimming pool. It also has garaging for 2 cars and comes with a 1 bedroom Victorian gate lodge, a hard tennis court and views towards the River Thames.

Described as being of a “striking curved design” and featuring large picture windows, the most unusual part of the estate comes in the form of a set of Grade II listed ancient stones named the Druids Altar.

Whilst a Russian court ordered Park Park Place be seized from Mr Borodin in May 2016, Templecombe House is offered to the open market by agents Savills.

October 22, 2017
A Bargain in Belgravia

Belgravia mews house with garaging for five cars for sale for equivalent of £1,442 per week

A two-storey mews house behind The Lanesborough Hotel in Belgravia has gone on sale for what initially seems like a bargain price of just £1.5 million ($2 million, €1.7 million or درهم7.2 million).

The catch? The 1,391 square foot property in Wilton Row – which comes with a 40-foot long garage with space for up to five cars – is offered on a new 20-year lease that comes without the ability to extend or acquire the freehold.

Effectively priced at the equivalent of rent of £75,000 per year ($99,000, €83,000 or درهم362,000 per year), the unlisted building also includes a reception room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Ayrton Wylie are the selling agents.

October 20, 2017