Property On Paper

Gary Hersham, Founder of Beauchamp Estates, and arguably the UK’s most famous estate agent, has authored, published and launched Anthology, an upmarket property book which delves into the extraordinary history, Royal, billionaire and celebrity connections of his most famous ultra-prime instructions.

Anthology is a beautifully designed and printed 121-page glossy hardback book which has been produced over a four-month period by Harriet Woods, Marketing Manager at Beauchamp Estates, with content contributions from Gary Hersham and Managing Director Jeremy Gee.

With a personal foreword by Gary Hersham, the inside pages combine insightful copy with lavish photography and watercolour images, specially commissioned from a talented illustrator, for each of the luxury homes covered in the publication.

Anthology looks at a selection of the extraordinary deals, clients and luxury properties that Gary Hersham and his team have handled over the years including the homes of celebrities, billionaires, Royalty and aristocrats and features many of the £20 million to £200 plus million homes Beauchamp Estates has sold. The book has been unveiled at a glamorous launch party in St John’s Wood with Gary Hersham on hand to personally sign copies of the tome for guests at the event.

Billed as a ‘collection of luxury homes with history’, the book includes the £220 million Rutland Gate mega-mansion in Knightsbridge, the UK’s most expensive home which Beauchamp Estates sold on behalf of a Saudi Royal family member to a Hong Kong billionaire. It also reviews 93 Eaton Square in Belgravia, the former London home of Prime Ministers Stanley Baldwin and Margaret Thatcher, which Beauchamp Estates sold for £21 million on behalf of the estate of Mrs Henry Ford II to an American billionaire.

Other homes reviewed in the book include the former home of popstar Robbie Williams in St John’s Wood, playwright Harold Pinter’s mansion in Regent’s Park, music icon Sting’s former London home, the Beverly Hills estate of William Randolph Hearst  and the Henley-on-Thames country estate once owned by Princess Lee Radziwill, the sister of American First Lady Jackie Kennedy.

Other lavish properties covered in the book include the former Mayfair home of socialite Nancy Mitford, the Regent’s Park home of a member of the Rothshchild banking family, the Hyde Park home of Mary, Duchess of Roxburgh, the Hyde Park residence of Mary, the Duchess of Sutherland, and the St James’s Park mansion of Harriet Beauclerk, the Coutts & Co bank heiress.

Gary Hersham, Founding Director of Beauchamp Estates says: “In this book we have brought together some interesting stories based on a selection of the properties that we have been involved with over the years. Discovering their story, explaining their provenance and history, and perhaps shining a light on a famous past resident, highlights what makes an address so special. Anthology is a “must read” book for those with an interest in property, history, architecture and people.”

Founded by Gary Hersham in 1979, Beauchamp Estates has been involved in some of the largest and most valuable deals in London and beyond, with the business expanding from its Mayfair HQ on Curzon Street to establishing an office in St John’s Wood to cover North West London, and overseas offices in Cannes, St Tropez,  Mykonos and Israel and associate offices in New York and Lisbon.

Beauchamp Estates’ first deal in 1979 was an apartment on Upper Brook Street in Mayfair, which sold for £120,000; a deal worth £3.5 million at current values. In 1984 the agency sold Park House in Kensington for £4.35 million. It was the biggest resi-deal done in Kensington and Chelsea during the 1980s and Park House is now reported to be worth over £100 million.

In 1990 Beauchamp Estates sold Blundell House & Little Blundell House, a grand Kensington mansion and related lodge house for £10 million – equivalent to £60 million in current values. It was the largest deal ever done on Campden Hill Road at that time.

In 2001 the agency was involved in the sale of a former Embassy converted into a mansion on Kensington Palace Gardens, in a deal worth £57 million – equivalent to £200 million currently. In 2005 Beauchamp Estates sold Sloane House in Chelsea for £26.5 million, equivalent to £150 million in current values.

In 2009 Beauchamp Estates sold the magnificent Beechwood House in Highgate, a mansion set in 13 acres of landscaped grounds, for £48 million, a deal worth £100 million in current values.

In 2009 Beauchamp Estates was involved in the sale of the La Belle Epoque Penthouse in Monaco for £143.2 million (equivalent to £217 million today). It was (and remains) the largest property deal ever done in Monaco. The property is now reported to be worth over £255 million.

Because of deals like these and instructions of the calibre covered in the new Anthology book Beauchamp Estates has the highest number of instructions and contracts conducted in London and the Home Counties worth over £10 million.

Beauchamp Estates has been listed as London’s No.1 Boutique Estate Agency by PrimeResi for several consecutive years and the firm has also won accolades for being a market leader provided by Spear’s Wealth Management, eg: Estates Gazette and Property Week.

www.beauchamp.com