Historic Prestbury House is for sale at a £6.5m. The eight-bedroom Hampton Court Road property is adjacent to the Royal Paddocks and Hampton Court Palace and opens onto the 1,100 acres of Bushy Park.
With what’s currently going on around the world, many people, particularly those who’ve chosen to squeeze themselves into London must now be dreaming of more open space. If your bank balance is flexible enough, we may have found the ideal property.
It’s no secret that the pandemic has been a huge wake-up call for many and given that millions of people have now had the opportunity to experience remote working, more-spacious properties with easy access to greenery will likely be top of buyers wish-lists.
Prestbury house is a quite unique London property having access to green space while providing a considerable amount of interior space. It is a Grade II listed manor house offering a not inconsiderable 7,305 sqft of space. If you’re a fan of bragging-rights, this property has connections to King George III, Lancelot “Capability” Brown and the Romanov dynasty.
The house offers grand living spaces; a large family kitchen, breakfast room, dining room, study, first-floor lounge/media room, master bedroom suite with master bathroom, and seven further bedrooms. Some of the rooms could be used for exercise/relaxation rooms, a staff kitchen, wine cellars and a separate artist’s studio/day room in the substantial gardens. It’s pretty much got everything needed for luxurious self-isolation.
If you’re chomping at the bit for something larger, the house is currently unoccupied and is interior designed and dressed.
The accommodation is split over lower ground, ground and two upper floors; the manor house has a first-floor balcony and all the space and facilities needed to entertain a family, allowing for a range of work, cultural or leisure activities. There is the first-floor lounge/media room, a study for home working and reception rooms for relaxation, and the family kitchen for home cooking, baking and wine tasting.
The bedrooms are perfect for sleeping/relaxation, and the outside artist’s studio/day room can be used for painting, yoga or meditation. One or more bedroom could be used for a gym for home fitness or pilates; the marble bathrooms and home spa/treatment for pampering and relaxation and the first-floor balcony and outside private garden for enjoying the outside/sunbathing and the 1,100 acres of Bushy Park for walking or running.
Prestbury House was originally built in 1742 with an elegant brick façade, tall windows, modillion cornice and mansard roof with dormer windows to the main façade. The house was extended with side wings in 1778-1781 and substantially refurbished in 1935 and 2011; the 2011 work carried out by architect ADAM Architecture and interior designer Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler.
The first occupant of Prestbury House was landscape architect George Lowe who oversaw the construction of the manor house. Between 1738-1758 he served as Master Gardener to King George II, followed by resident John Greening who served as Master Gardener to first George II and then King George III between 1758 to 1764. In 1764 Greening was replaced by the famous Lancelot “Capability” Brown (1716-1783); Brown chose to make Wilderness House his official residence and used Prestbury House first as his offices and then sub-let the property to one of his estate managers.
In 1881 the Royal Household decided that Wilderness House and Prestbury House should be used as grace and favour residences. The properties were modernised with Prestbury House given electricity and bathrooms in 1935-1936 and the same upgrades are done to Wilderness House in 1907-1912.
Between 1910-1935 the properties became the home and staff quarters for Lady White and family, the widow of Field Marshal Sir George White, the Governor of Gibraltar. Then between 1937 to 1960, Wilderness House was provided to HIH Grand Duchess Xenia of Russia, the exiled sister of Tsar Nicolas II, as her official London residence whilst Prestbury House served as offices, administration and accommodation for her staff and family.
It is from here that Grand Duchess Xenia and her staff had to deal with the claims of impostor Anna Anderson who fraudulently said she was the Grand Duchess Anastasia (the fraud only proved in 1991 after DNA analysis). In 1945 Prestbury House was sold and became a privately-owned residence, a status that remains up until the present day.
The gardens of Prestbury House are bordered by historic walls, some which date back to 1540, built by King Henry VIII, with ornate pedestrian entrance gates and a side gate and sweeping driveway for cars/vehicles.
Jeremy Gee, Managing Director of Beauchamp Estates, says: “Prestbury House is magnificent turn-key dressed manor house in Bushy Park, it is truly an outstanding lockdown pad, providing everything needed for self-isolation. The 7,305 sqft house and gardens provide all the space and facilities needed to entertain a family during the current UK lockdown, allowing for a range of different work, cultural or leisure activities.”
The manor house and grounds are available for £4,500 per week to let or £6,500,000 to purchase. To book a remote ‘virtual tour’ of Prestbury House contact Beauchamp Estates on Tel: 020 7722 9793 or visit www.beauchamp.com.
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