Set in just under 43-acres of breath-taking parkland designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, Denham Place is an exceptional Grade I Listed stately home with interiors in the style of a classical palace in Denham village, where London meets Buckinghamshire.
Residents have included the Bonaparte Imperial family, politician and movie financier Lord Robert Vansittart, and James Bond film franchise co-producer Harry Saltzman, the house starring in the Bond films: now for sale via joint sole selling agents Beauchamp Estates, Knight Frank and Savills.
Providing the unparalleled opportunity to purchase the finest stately home within 30 minutes of Central London, Denham Place comprises a grand 28,525 sq.ft. manor house, built in classic William and Mary architectural style, the private palace featuring state room-style principal entertaining spaces including 12 reception rooms, 12 bedroom suites, 14 bathrooms, family and catering kitchens, private chapel, two staircases and a passenger lift to all floors.
The estate has a Grade II Listed coach house, estate cottages and ancillary buildings and garaging (all totalling 11,199 sq. ft.) with planning consent to transform the coach house into a state-of-the-art health spa.
Following an extensive eight-year restoration project, the fully refurbished and modernised manor house was originally built in 1688-1701 providing accommodation over lower-ground, ground and two upper floors. There is underfloor heating throughout, audio-visual technology and air conditioning to principal rooms. Short of acquiring one of the Crown Estate Royal Palaces there is nothing of this grandeur or provenance so close to Central London.
Working alongside English Heritage and The Georgian Group, the restoration was led by Alexander Kravetz, the award-winning interior designer whose portfolio includes refurbishment work for The Dorchester and Landmark Hotels in London, Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St. Moritz and the Imperial Hotel in Vienna.
The first Tudor mansion was built on the estate in c.1541 by Sir Edmund Peckham, High Treasurer to King Henry VIII, the estate visited by his daughter Queen Elizabeth I in 1586.
In 1670, owner Sir Roger Hill, MP and High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, commissioned the current mansion with formal landscaping and parterre gardens around the house inspired by Versailles. In 1773, Capability Brown created the Grade II Listed parkland beyond the main house which is still present today.
Between 1834-1844, Denham Place served as a Royal residence for King Joseph-Napoleon Bonaparte, exiled former King of Naples and Sicily, and Jerome-Napoleon Bonaparte, Prince of Montfort and King of Westphalia, following the defeat of their brother, fallen French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Between 1853-1913, Denham Place was the home of J P Morgan, the American financier and banker, who rented the estate as his English country retreat.
In 1930, Denham Place was purchased by Lord Robert Vansittart, Permanent Undersecretary at the Foreign Office between 1930-38, and his wife Lady Sarita, a wealthy heiress. The couple were close friends with film producer Alexander Korda and helped to support the nearby Denham Film Studios and fund several films; during this period visitors included Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier and Wallis Simpson.
Between 1960-77, Denham Place was leased by Harry Saltzman, co-producer of the internationally acclaimed James Bond movies; scripts for the Bond films were reviewed at the mansion, with several shots filmed on site, including the library being used as character “M”’s office in films Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).
Hollywood stars visited including co-producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Michael Caine, Rudolf Nureyev and Gregory Peck. Following Lady Vansittart’s death in 1980, Denham Place was converted into business headquarters until its purchase in 2000 by the current owners and restoration back into a stately home.
The restored manor house now offers palatial living with the principal rooms benefitting from ceiling heights of over 16 feet, tall sash windows and ornate plasterwork throughout.
The drawing room has a hand-painted ceiling fresco, silk wall panels and curtains by the renowned Gainsborough Silk Weaving Company, a handwoven carpet inspired by one in Buckingham Palace and custom crystal chandeliers by renowned glass-makers Saint Louis. Other features include the music room, with ornate gold leaf plasterwork, billiards room with restored Listed fresco depicting Denham village and the chapel, now dressed as a lounge, with panelling brought from Hampton Court Palace during the 1700s.
There is also a ground floor reception hall and double-height staircase hall with oak-panelled staircase; library with adjoining study and vestibule and a formal dining room with Italian Calacatta marble fireplace, with access to a tea/cigar room and servery kitchen.
On the first floor are four stately bedroom suites, all with dressing rooms and ensuite bathrooms clad in Italian marble, with interior design and dressing inspired by the Royal bedchambers of Versailles. The first floor also features a smaller fifth suite plus a sitting room for family or guest use.
The principal bedroom suite is currently arranged to provide a main bedroom suite with two ensuite bathrooms, a master dressing room/secondary bedroom with an ensuite bathroom and separate walk-in wardrobe and a further separate study/dressing room. On the second floor are seven bedroom suites including a penthouse suite, complete with its own kitchen and living room.
The lower ground floor has a banqueting hall for sixty diners (currently dressed as a home cinema), an informal dining/breakfast room connected to the catering kitchen and opening onto an outside terrace, and a home gym. There is also a cocktail bar with double doors to the gardens, and an adjoining party room.
This level also provides guest powder/bathrooms, dry stores, walk-in refrigerators, laundry room, wine cellar and estate archive room.
Restored and conserved by renowned Landscape Architect Lord Kenilworth, Denham Place offers a balance of landscaped gardens and Grade II listed parkland and woodland, bordering the 18-hole Buckinghamshire Golf Club championship course. The grounds include a formal sunken garden, walled garden, meadow, orchard, and lake.
There is planning consent to transform the Grade II Listed coach house into a health spa offering a state-of-the-art gym, changing rooms, sauna, steam room, lounges, three treatment rooms and two wet-treatment rooms complete with a 15-metre outdoor swimming pool (that can be enclosed with a glass conservatory).
Gary Hersham, Founding Director of Beauchamp Estates commented: “With an illustrious provenance that includes Royalty, a banking tycoon and famous film producers, Denham Place is a veritable trophy asset. Over the last three years we have seen a significant rise in UHNW families seeking large country estates close to Central London providing them with the perfect home where they can completely control their living environment.”
James Crawford, Partner and Head of Super Prime Team, Country Department at Knight Frank commented: “Since Anglo-Saxon times, up to the current vendors, there have only been seven owners of Denham Place; with each family undertaking improvements and bestowing an enhanced legacy for the new owners. Alongside offering private, tranquil parkland, it is excellently connected just thirty minutes from Central London and Mayfair, whilst being just six miles from airport base RAF Northolt for using private jets. Short of acquiring one of the Crown Estate Royal Palaces there is nothing of this grandeur or provenance so close to Central London.”
Crispin Holborow, Country Director of The Private Office at Savills commented: “Demand for properties of this kind is stronger than it has been for decades. In addition to this, there has been a widening interest from the world’s wealthiest families for period property in the UK.
Where in the past UHNW buyers might only look for new builds in the classical mould, they are now looking for something exceptional, either in a heritage property or ultra-contemporary. The history of this Grade I period estate, together with its condition and location makes Denham Place extremely sought after.”
Denham Place is located just 17 miles from Mayfair and 20 miles from The City, with journeys by car reaching Central London in 30 minutes. The estate is a few minutes’ drive from Denham Aerodrome for helicopter or private jet, with Heathrow Airport just a 15 minute’s drive.
Denham Place is for sale with a guide price of £75,000,000 (including contents of the house). For further information contact joint sole selling agents Beauchamp Estates (Gary Hersham) E: [email protected] / Tel: +44 20 7499 7722 / www.beauchamp.com, Knight Frank (James Crawford) E: [email protected] / Tel: +44 20 7861 1065 / www.knightfrank.co.uk, Savills (Crispin Holborow) E: [email protected] / Tel: +44 20 7409 8881 / www.savills.co.uk, and also visit: www.denhamplace.com.
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