IT was a sign of the strength of the housing market when Liam Bailey’s morning market update from Knight Frank Research on March 31—a mere fortnight ago—highlighted the announcement from the Bank of England that mortgage approvals for house purchase had climbed to 73,500 in February. This is the highest monthly level recorded since January 2014, signalling, Mr Bailey believes, ‘the potential pool of demand once conditions improve’.
His contention is supported by the experience of leading country-house agents who have seen buyers, sellers and lawyers working at remarkable speed to seal high-level deals despite the lockdown. A prime example was the sale of Garlands at 12, Nuns Walk in Surrey’s prestigious Wentworth Estate: a newly built, fully furnished, 10,000sq ft mansion set in four-fifths of an acre of grounds. It came to the market at the back end of last year, at a guide price of £7.5 million through Savills, Knight Frank and local agents Barton Wyatt.
‘The eventual purchaser, an international buyer, viewed the house a week before the lockdown and swiftly agreed a sale for close to the guide price, whereupon the parties involved pulled out all the stops to exchange and complete simultaneously in the first week of April,’ reveals Trevor Kearney, of Savills.
In contrast, it’s been a long haul to the finish line for Knight Frank’s country department and receivers Sanderson Weatherall, who, following best and final bids on tragic, Grade I-listed Parnham House, near Beaminster, Dorset, managed to exchange and complete on the deal, even after the outbreak of Covid-19.
Denne historien er fra April 15, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra April 15, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
