Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon's West Sussex retreat asks $5.3 million in its first public listing
The Old House, the West Sussex estate where Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon assembled a private circle of artists and royals across more than a decade, has come to public market for the first time at $5.3 million…
Key takeaways
- The Old House, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon's West Sussex estate, has come to public market for the first time at $5.3 million through Blue Book Agency.
- The 5,750-square-foot home sits on 5.52 acres, was originally built in 1481, and was held by the Messel family from 1890.
- Oliver Messel, Lord Snowdon's uncle, gave The Old House to his nephew ahead of the couple's May 1960 wedding at Westminster Abbey.
- Lord Snowdon rebuilt the dilapidated structure, adding a redesigned kitchen, a balcony salvaged from Ascot Racecourse's Royal Box, and a lake he created on the grounds.
- Guests at the estate included Peter Sellers, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Bianca Jagger and Sir Evelyn de Rothschild.
The Old House, the West Sussex estate where Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon assembled a private circle of artists and royals across more than a decade, has come to public market for the first time at $5.3 million through Blue Book Agency. The 5,750-square-foot home on 5.52 acres had changed hands twice before, both times off-market: a private sale in 2003 and an off-market purchase in 2005. A buyer at the full ask would be acquiring a property originally built in 1481, held by the Messel family from 1890, and shaped by Lord Snowdon into a retreat that drew some of the most recognizable cultural figures of the twentieth century.
The provenance
The property's royal chapter began as a family gift. Oliver Messel, the designer and Lord Snowdon's uncle, passed The Old House to his nephew ahead of the couple's May 1960 wedding at Westminster Abbey. That ceremony was the first royal wedding televised, drawing an estimated 300 million viewers worldwide. The Messel family had come into possession of the home in 1890 and held it across generations before Oliver's gift. Lord Snowdon received a dilapidated structure and rebuilt it substantially: a redesigned kitchen, a balcony salvaged from Ascot Racecourse's Royal Box during refurbishment works, a lake he created on the grounds, and a personal archive of newspaper clippings covering royal scandals and major events.
Famous guests and the cultural record
The Old House drew a consistent roster of recognizable figures during the couple's years there. Guests included actor Peter Sellers, ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn, Bianca Jagger and financier Sir Evelyn de Rothschild. Theo James-Wright, Director at Blue Book Agency, said the property was a place "where royalty mixed with artists, actors, writers and designers, where some of the most influential figures of the twentieth century gathered behind closed doors." A season three episode of Netflix's "The Crown" drew directly on the estate's history.
What to watch
The listing covers a six-bedroom main house, a pool house convertible to a guest suite, a garden office, a library and a tractor shed, all situated on the 5.52-acre West Sussex site. Princess Margaret died in February 2002 at 71; Lord Snowdon in January 2017 at 86. Blue Book Agency holds the listing at $5.3 million.
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Filed via foxnews.com