Glamorous history of VIP homes
Gary Hersham, founder of Beauchamp Estates, has authored, published and launched Anthology, an illustrated account of the historic, royal, billionaire and celebrity connections of his most famous ultra-prime instructions. Anthology is a beautifully designed and printed 121page glossy hardback, 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 foreword by Hersham, the book combines insightful copy, with lavish photography and specially commissioned watercolour illustrations for each of the luxury homes covered in the publication.
Anthology looks at some of the extraordinary deals, clients and luxury properties that Hersham and his team have handled over the years, featuring many of the
£20 million to £200 plus million homes Beauchamp Estates has sold.
They include the £220 million Rutland Gate megamansion 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.
Also reviewed is 93 Eaton Square in Belgravia, 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 featured in the book include the former abode 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-onThames country estate once owned by Princess Lee Radziwill, sister of American First Lady Jackie Kennedy. There is also the former Mayfair home of socialite Nancy Mitford, the Regent’s Park home of a member of the Rothshchild banking family and the St James’s Park mansion of Harriet Beauclerk, the Coutts & Co bank heiress.
Hersham 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 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 establish an office in St John’s Wood to cover North West London; 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, 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 more than £100 million.
In 2009, the agent sold Beechwood House in Highgate, a mansion standing amid 13 acres of landscaped grounds, for £48 million, a deal worth £100 million in current values. And 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). This was (and remains) the largest property deal ever done in Monaco. The property is now reported to be worth more than £255 million.
Because of deals like these and instructions of the calibre covered in Anthology, 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 number one boutique estate agency by PrimeResi for several consecutive years and has also won accolades from Spear’s Wealth Management, egi: Estates Gazette and