for sale

Ouch – Melville House sold for £1.6m; down from £4.5m

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Melville House, Fife
Melville House, Fife

In a cautionary tale of how ambitious restorations can come unstuck, Melville House has been sold for a ‘knock-down’ £1.6m by agents Knight Frank.  The 17th-century Palladian mansion boasted 11 bedrooms, seven receptions plus stables, a tennis court and even a cricket pitch.  It was built in 1697 for George, the 1st Earl of Melville, then secretary of state for Scotland by James Smith.  The 1st Earl died a few years after his creation was finished but the house remained in the Melville family until it was sold – along with the contents – in 1949.

It had been requisitioned by the Army as a barracks during the war (the probable damage from which led to the sale) and then became a hospital and subsequently a residential school before being sold to a developer for £400,000.  It was then sold on again in 2003 for £1m and the new owner then spent over £2m on restoration.  The latest owner has secured a bargain – here’s hoping it’s now in safe hands.

Full story: ‘Repossessed mansion sold for ‘knockdown’ price‘ [stv]

Mentmore’s London sibling for sale

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Mentmore Towers
Mentmore Towers

Simon Halabi’s original plan was to develop a super-luxury, six-star club experience with members enjoying country facilities at Mentmore Towers, in Buckinghamshire, with a London base at the In and Out Club on Piccadilly.  However, the recent global crisis seemed to put the plans on hold and concerns had been raised (including in comments on earlier blog post: ‘Simon Halabi and Mentmore Towers’ – 17 July) as to whether sufficient maintenence was being undertaken at both locations.

The master plan appears to have now been changed with the news that the In and Out Club has been put up for sale.  Included in the deal are various neighbouring buildings which give the potential for the sale to raise up to £250m. It’s not known what Mr Halabi’s plans are but one can only hope that the money raised will benefit Mentmore Towers, preserving and protecting this important country house.

Full story: ‘Mayfair’s In and Out Club on market‘ [Financial Times]

Anyone looking for a very large country house?

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Blaisdon Hall (Image from The Times)Blaisdon Hall (Image from The Times)

An example of just how cyclical the housing market – particularly for country houses – a house which 60 years ago might have been at risk of demolition is now a trophy purchase.

Blaisdon House, in Gloucestershire, was built in the 1870s for Edwin Crawshay, a local ironmaster, by a Gloucester architect, F.S. Waller.  Currently for sale, it includes a convenient 85-acres, sauna and gardens. The house was rescued from the threat of the 1950s when it was converted into a school but has now been skilfully converted back to family home with no trace of it’s former institutional use.  One can only hope that more of these houses are rescued.

Full story: ‘The grandiose Victorian country house is back in vogue‘ [The Times]

So if I won the lottery…Dowdeswell Court

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Dowdeswell Court (Image from Savills)
Dowdeswell Court (Image from Savills)

Although many of the stories in this blog are about houses at risk, it should also be noted that, should funds permit, many a fine country house comes up for sale every week via the big agencies such as Knight Frank, Savills, Chestertons etc.  Whilst for most the dream of the large country house is out of reach, the sumptuous photos allow us a brief glimpse of these beautiful buildings. So, watch out for postings of the best of the country houses which have been advertised.

Dowdeswell Court, situated just outside Cheltenham, is an elegant essay in ne0-Classical style.  The estate had been in the Rogers family since 1582 but by the early 1800s the house was so dilapidated that it could only be replaced.  The new house was built in 1833-7, and was designed by a well-respected architect, Charles Paul of Cheltenham, who incorporated the distinctive Corinthian orders and cornicing.  Interestingly though, the final design owes much to the master mason, Thomas Denley, who altered the plans.  The interiors are to the 1830s but have been sympathetically restored.  The house was then sold the now Coxwell-Rodgers family in the 1900s and it then went through a succession of owners and uses including as a school and residential home.  It was from this latter fate that the house was rescued in 2005 and has since been carefully restored.  This truly is a stunning house – a great example of it’s type and conveniently sized and located.

So if you have the requisite £7.9m please do contact Savills and ask for a viewing.  And if you would like someone to carry your bag or something while you do so, please just let me know.

Full details: Dowdeswell Court [Savills]