A seven-bedroom mansion set in ancient hunting land once owned by the Crown is on the market for £16.5 million ($20.6 million) – after being rented out for more than twice the UK’s average salary per month.
Queen Anne House on the Crown Estate in Surrey was until recently the most expensive rental outside central London, with an asking price of £90,000 a month, according to agent Gavin Fleming, associate director at CHK Mountford.
The property features 16,500 square feet of living space, with his-and-hers studies and bathrooms, two kitchens, a swimming pool, cinema and a formal dining hall, as well as a self-contained two-bedroom apartment for staff.
“The Crown Estate is probably one of the most exclusive locations in the whole of England, which is home to many A-listers and football players, like Jamie Redknapp," Mr Fleming told The National.
"A lot of the Chelsea football team also live on the Crown Estate. Andy Murray recently moved from there. Houses of this size rarely come up for sale."
The property was recently rented for £100,000 a month by a family from overseas who used it as a weekend retreat from their base in London.
Others have since expressed an interest in renting the sprawling property, including British expats in the UAE and even Hollywood actors filming at the nearby Pinewood Studios.
However, the owner would now prefer to sell the home, which was built in 2013 to his specifications.
"He had two younger children at the time, who are now at university. He built two suites for them on the top floor," said Mr Fleming.
"The principal bedroom was designed to be like an apartment within the house. So if the owner was at home on her own, she could reside in the principal bedroom area, which is like a huge big flat, and just shut the door and be away from the big overwhelming house, so she felt secure.
"It has a kitchenette, a reception area, his-and-hers bathrooms and a private terrace with a hot tub."
It sits in grounds of more than 0.6 hectares and has garage space for five cars.
The front door opens on to a formal dining hall with entertaining area and twin sweeping staircases leading to the seven bedroom suites on the first and second floors.
On the ground floor is a walnut wood-finished large kitchen and dining area, with state-of-the-art appliances and a view of the double-height swimming pool complex. Off to the side of the kitchen, there is a sitting room. A gym sits to the other side.
Upstairs, the principal bedroom suite extends to more than 1,500 square feet and has two separate bathrooms and two dressing rooms, as well as a sitting room and two large terraces, one of which has the hot tub and overlooks the grounds.
The top floor features the two suites designed for the owner’s children.
In addition, the house features an au pair suite with a kitchen, laundry area and a two-bedroom staff flat with a chef's kitchen, as well as a private cinema and spacious function room with a dance floor on the lower level.
The estate has its own private security.
"If your alarm goes off for any reason whatsoever, even if a spider went across the sensor at 3am, the local security company would attend your property within five minutes and insist they go around the house with their dogs to check everything is OK," said Mr Fleming.
The grounds were designed and landscaped by renowned OneAbode, a previous Hampton Court Flower Show gold medal winner, and features trees, shrubs and flowers imported from all over the world. A tennis court and chillout area are also included.
As well as the garage space, there is hard standing for more than 20 vehicles, all behind tall, secure gates.
The property is in Oxshott, a village with independent shops, pubs and restaurants and a station with frequent trains to London Waterloo taking only 38 minutes.
