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MOVE Inside Hamstone House in Surrey, an English country house with a watch- inspired design
The iconic art deco architectural property in St George’s Hill is on sale for £16 million. By Hugh Graham
Hamstone House was built in 1937 by Peter Lind NICK AYLIFFE
Hugh Graham Sunday August 23 2020, 2.00am, The Sunday Times
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t St George’s Hill in Surrey, Britain’s first gated country estate, the old houses are dropping like A ninepins. Launched in 1911 on 964 acres, the original Arts and Crafts-style houses were described by / Pevsner as “delightful”. The half-timbered mansions and cottages, designed by master builder Walter Tarrant, evoke an Iinmtraogdeu ocfi nag b Tyigmoense Ra Brdiitoain: leaded windows, solid oak Twaopo ‘Mdwenour’k a,n sde trhveann ‘tTsi’m beesl Rlsa, dwioa’ ltko- ilinst pena ntot rtihees ,l aDteesltf tw teillle-isn faonrmded dAegbaaste, ,e eaxcphe rste at noanly saist alenads bt raenak aincgr en eawms ong pine woods, rhododendrons and high laurel hedges.
Originally aimed at captains of industry who wanted a mini- country estate within commuting distance of London, they were later discovered by celebrities — residents have included John Lennon, Cli Richard and Tom Jones. But as foreign buyers arrived in the 1980s, many original houses were replaced by new-build McMansions beloved of Russian oligarchs. Of the 420 houses on the estate, an estimated 30 per cent to 50 per cent of the originals remain, according to a spokesperson for Elmbridge council.
One of them is Hamstone House. Built in 1937 by Peter Lind, a Danish-born contractor who built Waterloo Bridge, it is art deco, not Arts and Crafts, but no less revered architecturally — it was saved from the wrecking ball when it was grade II listed in the 1980s, and Pevsner called it “the best country house on St George’s Hill”. It is certainly among the biggest — at 20,400 sq ft, with a 3,000 sq ft gatehouse, it is set on eight acres overlooking St George’s Hill Golf Club. On the market for £16 million, it is a cut above the fake French châteaux and neo-Chatsworths around it. And credit where it is due, some foreign billionaires / do appreciate historic homes — the present owner, who bought it in 2001, is a relative of Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch; Itnhter opdruecviinogu Ts iomwens eRar, ad iSoaudi prince who bought from the Lind Tfapm ‘iMlye ninu’ 1a9n8d4 t,h sepne ‘nTitm £e2s mRaidlliioo’ nto r elisstteonr itno gth teh lea tmesat nwseilol-nin ftoor mitse dart deebcaot es,p elxepnedrto aunra. lysis and breaking news
Clad in honey-coloured hamstone from Somerset, it has a curved façade with small windows that give it the look of a graceful ocean liner. In fact, it was designed to look like a watch — Lind’s daughter was married to a scion of the Jaeger- LeCoultre watch firm, which made art deco timepieces for Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (Hamstone was reportedly the duchess’s favourite English country house). It is hard to see the watch aesthetic looking at the façade, but according to the PR for Beauchamp Estates, the selling agent, the house resembles a timepiece from above — though quite what the purpose was, in an era before drone footage, is a mystery.
Hamstone House looks like a watch from above NICK AYLIFFE
The interiors are a step back in time, in a good way: the curvaceous marble lobby has a sweeping staircase that feels more art nouveau than art deco, and is adorned with an 8ft Venetian glass chandelier that was added by the Saudi prince — though it looks classy, not blingy — he also added Lalique light fittings during the refit. A library panelled in wych elm, and
/ doors done in warm woods, add to the vintage feel, but it is not a complete time capsule: in 2006, the owner embarked on a Imntarjoodru rceinnogv Taitmioens ,Ra anddio added an indoor 25m pool and sauna on Tthape ‘lMoweneur’ ganrod uthnedn fl‘Toimore,s a Rira dcioon’ tdoi tlisotnenin tgo, tahse wlateelsl ta ws eall -sienfcoornmded dperboaftees, seixopnearlt kanitaclyhseisn a fnodr b srteaa ki.ng news
A billiards room in the ground floor was converted from a bomb shelter — Churchill actually attended a meeting in Hamstone House in 1943, as Lind helped to construct artificial harbours that the British troops installed near Omaha Beach after the D- Day landings.
It is this sense of history that gives Hamstone House the edge over the plague of new-builds, says the north Surrey buying agent Richard Winter, who grew up playing tennis at the St George’s Hill Club and has watched the estate change beyond recognition in the past 15 years. “Hamstone House is unique, there is nothing with so much elegance. There are six new- builds on the market in St George’s Hill right now above £10 million, so this one has scarcity value. It is a coveted asset, like a classic car. I think the buyer will be older, more educated, and more refined. It is not a showy house, it is not for someone who has just made money and wants to flaunt it. It is more discreet.”
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The mansion’s curves are echoed in the sweeping staircase NICK AYLIFFE
As it is listed, Hamstone House cannot go the way of its forebears, such as Little Rhondda, a thatched, half-timbered 1914 home once owned by Tom Jones’s manager, which was demolished in 1990 and replaced by three new-builds.
It is not necessarily that foreign buyers don’t like old houses, says Paul Finch, director of Beauchamp Estates. It is just that 4,000 sq ft homes are too small for modern plutocrats’ tastes. Such houses are easy prey for developers, when sitting on plots of at least an acre — a covenant in St George’s Hill established by Tarrant in 1911 to preserve the rural feel. “If a developer sees a 4,000 sq ft house that he can buy for £3 million, and knock it down and build a 15,000 sq ft house and sell it for £12 million, that is why the majority of older houses are gone,” Finch says.
/ St George’s Hill golf course Introducing Times Radio The loss is lamentable, says Elain Harwood, an architectural Tap ‘Menu’ and then ‘Times Radio’ to listen to the latest well-informed dheibstaoter,i aenxp weritt han Haliysstiso raincd Ebnregalkainngd .n “eWwsith land values so high, small houses on big plots of land that don’t have the latest luxury facilities are vulnerable. I have visited the estate a couple of times. So many potentially interesting houses of the 1920s- 60s have been damaged or demolished because there is so much money there.”
Harwood says the “Surrey style” — Edwardian, 1920s and 1930s houses — were a great contribution to world architecture, but are undervalued, which is why most houses in St George’s Hill were not listed. And residents may be reluctant to be part of a conservation area because it would hurt their land values when it comes to sell.
The imposing library NICK AYLIFFE
Rosie Ryder, a spokeswoman for Historic England, says the organisation is constantly reviewing listing criteria, and that often the more scarce a style becomes, the more buildings are likely to become listed. Changing tastes also play a part: “We are going to be focusing more on Edwardian in the next few years.”
The good news is that the carnage in St George’s Hill may be slowing. Ringo Starr’s late 1930s mock Tudor mansion Sunny / Heights was bought by a Russian billionaire in 2013 and slated for demolition, but it is still standing as planning permission Ihnatsr oedxupciirnegd T. Timhes s Ralowdidoown in the market at the top end means Tthape r‘Me eisn ule’ sasn ds ptheecnu ‘lTaitmivees bRuadilido’i ntog .listen to the latest well-informed debate, expert analysis and breaking news
The heated swimming pool NICK AYLIFFE
“The market is changing in St George’s Hill, it is much less international and more domestic,” says Simon Ashwell, director of Savills in Weybridge. “In the last year, all but one of the houses sold were to British-based families. Instead of knocking them down, they are refurbishing them. We just sold an older Tarrant house on the golf course, everyone thought it would be a building plot. But it doesn’t make financial sense, as land values have dropped. So we sold it to a young family from London, they are stripping the property back and bringing it back to its former glory. I am selling a lovely Tarrant Arts and Crafts house, Hampden, now for £3.5 million. It has six bedrooms, 4,000 sq ft, a lovely garden, there is no way it will be knocked down. They were out of fashion, but I think more will be kept as character family homes. People love them.”
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The terrace above the pool is perfect for post-dip drinks NICK AYLIFFE
Hamstone House is far grander than a Tarrant home, but Paul Fincher thinks it will be sold to a family — with its five bedrooms, six bathrooms, tennis court, rose garden and woodland walks, it would be an idyllic place for children to roam. And its characterful architecture is a reminder of why we fell in love with St George’s Hill all those years ago. The renaissance starts now. 0207 499 7722, beauchamp.com
@HughGrahamST
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Introducing Times Radio CToamp m‘Mentesn aur’e asubjnde tcht eton o‘urTi mcoemsm Runiadtyi ogui’ tdoel ilneisst,e wnhi tcoh tchane bela tveieswt ewd ehellr-ein. formed debate, expert analysis and breaking news Comments (4)
Newest Lucy Jones
L Add to the conversation...
W Wollah 23 AUGUST Looks nothing like a watch......
Reply Recommend Report
L Lucille Grant 23 AUGUST I would love to own and live in Hamstone House!
Reply Recommend Report
M Mr R Selby 23 AUGUST Library looks short of books, though I think I see half of the Folio Society’s edition of Gibbon, which in my day was given to new members.
Reply Recommend Report C CDC 23 AUGUST I doubt a UK tax paying English family will be able to a ord this baby.
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