The Old House, a historic property once owned by Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, better known as Lord Snowdon, is for sale. Listed with Blue Book Agency for $5.3 million, this is the first time in its history that the property is publicly available.
Originally built in 1481, the property in West Sussex was acquired by the Messel family in 1890. Lord Snowdon received it as a gift from his uncle, designer Oliver Messel, before his marriage to Princess Margaret. He transformed the 5,750-square-foot home into a private retreat, hosting several notable figures including actor Peter Sellers, ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn, and financier Sir Evelyn de Rothschild.
“What Lord Snowdon created here was not simply a private home but an extraordinary creative retreat,” said Theo James-Wright, Director at Blue Book Agency. He emphasized the property’s cultural and historical significance, with royalty and influential artists having spent time there.
The property inspired an episode in the Netflix series “The Crown.” Notable features include a redesigned kitchen, a balcony from Ascot Racecourse’s Royal Box, a lake, and a collection of newspaper clippings assembled by Lord Snowdon himself.
The estate comprises the main house with six bedrooms, a pool house suitable as a guest suite, a garden office, a library, and other amenities. Despite being sold privately in 2003 and purchased off-market in 2005, this public offering marks a unique opportunity.
Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon’s marriage began after meeting in 1958, leading to an engagement in February 1960 and a televised wedding at Westminster Abbey in May 1960, viewed by approximately 300 million people.
They had two children: David Armstrong-Jones in November 1961 and Lady Sarah Chatto in May 1964. Despite their separation in 1976 and divorce in 1978, they maintained a friendship. Lord Snowdon remarried Lucy Lindsay-Hogg, while Princess Margaret did not remarry.
Princess Margaret passed away in February 2002, and Lord Snowdon died in January 2017.