Fantasy House Hunt, #3
A weekly round-up of the internet's best homes to buy, rent or renovate.
Hello! Welcome to Fantasy House Hunt, a weekly round-up of the internet’s best homes to buy, rent or renovate.
My name is Rebecca MacNaughton and I’m a journalist and editor from the UK.
I write about homes, the people who live in them and - increasingly - the art of ‘making house’.
This week we have a phenomenal ‘castle’ for rent in Hampstead, London, a French manor house currently used as a boutique hotel and America’s most expensive
ski home.
Hampstead, London, UK
Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time in Hampstead, tramping across the Heath and up the slightly-bending lane that connects it to Highgate.
I know it well, and because of that, I know the calibre of homes you can buy there - from the outside, anyway. It’s probably partly why I’m here.
Hampstead is like a lot of London in that it offers a real mix of eras - from Queen Anne to Regency and Georgian to modernist - but that’s where any similarities stop. The area is more private and secluded and, in some parts - dare I say it - more like living in the countryside.
Still, Old Conduit House is something of a surprise.
It’s Grade II listed, Gothic in style and a resembles a mini castle. Outside, there are towers and turrets; inside, there are gilded archways and marble floors.
Unfortunately, the property is not for sale but it is for rent, and available with Aston Chase for £4,750 a week (roughly £247,000 a year).
The house, which dates back to 1864, was originally divided into two and built by stained-glass manufacturers John Burlison and his son-in-law, Alfred Bell, which explains a lot about its decorative style.
It was combined into a single home after Burlison’s death in 1868 and, in later years, parts of its upper floors were divided into bedsits. The author Fay Weldon was a regular visitor and even wrote parts of the property into her novel, Splitting.
Today, the house has been returned to much of its former glory. It has four imposing and high-ceilinged reception rooms, a library, eat-in kitchen and several terraces, as well as five bedrooms and six bath and cloakrooms.
There’s also a gated private courtyard, off-street parking for two cars and an 80ft garden at the rear.
It’s not your average rental.
Moisacc, Tarn-et-Garonne, France
This three-storey manor house near Toulouse is exactly what I think of when I think of living in the French countryside.
It dates back to the 18th century and is built of local Quercy stone. It’s currently run as a boutique hotel, although with a bit of reconfiguring, I think it would make a phenomenal family home. It’s for sale with Wheeler Maisons & Chateaux for 1,280,000 euros.
Inside, it’s traditional in style, with three floors of living space and three huge hallways which run the entire length of the house. Each floor also has a balcony overlooking the garden and is supported by two huge Doric columns.
Other period features include its original plasterwork, tiled floors and fireplaces, although it also benefits from a modern heating system.
The bedrooms are more like suites than single rooms and all feature an entrance hall, en suite bathroom and a dressing room or sitting area, and the property also has a professional-standard kitchen.
Grounds of around 7,600 metres surround it and there’s a swimming pool, plus garaging for up to 12 cars and an 18th century icehouse. There’s also an outdoor bar and terrace.
Peace, tranquility, a change of pace? It offers that in spades.
Aspen, Colorado, USA
There are only five single-family homes on Aspen Mountain, which is widely regarded as one of the world’s top ski resorts. This ten-bed, 12-bath ‘mansion’ is one of them.
The property is being brokered by Steven Shane of Compass for $100,000,000 and has been likened to Georgica Pond in East Hampton, S. Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach or 222 Central Park South.
In other words, it’s one of America’s most revered places to live.
The property has been in the same family for decades, according to the listing details, and extends to over 14,000 sq ft. It has been extensively re-modelled and styled since it was built in 1979.
Inside, the rooms are light-filled and modern, with a liberal use of windows and skylights to maximise its views. You might leave the slope but you never leave the mountain.
Creamy walls and dark hardwoods have been used throughout and there’s a two-storey foyer with gold accents and a huge chandelier.
There’s also a real wood-burning fireplace in the living room, a bar, games room, two kitchens and ten luxury bedroom suites, and it comes fully furnished.
Outside, there are several outdoor decks from which you can enjoy the views, and it’s only a few hundred yards from the Aspen Mountain Gondola, offering full ski-in, ski-out access.
It might just be Colorado’s best address.
That’s all from me. I’ll see you again next Saturday with more of my favourite fantasy homes.