Once this the country The residence of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, the Old House – which dates back to 1481 – is on the market for £3,950,000.
In the West Sussex village of Staplefield, between Horsham and Haywards Heath, and just ten minutes from the picturesque South Downs, The Old House is a country retreat steeped in a rich layered history and boasting a mixture of Tudor. Georgian Architecture .
Part of the Nymans estate, purchased in 1890 by Lord Snowdon’s great-grandfather, Ludwig Messel, the Old House holds many treasured memories for Lord Snowdon, who spent his childhood summers there. Maisel gifted the Nymans to the National Trust in 1953 but retained the leasehold for the Old House for the family. It was given to the soon-to-be Lord Snowdon by his uncle, Oliver Maisel, who, incidentally, designed the Princess’s beloved Mustique villa in the Caribbean, before his marriage to Princess Margaret in 1958.
Although in disrepair at the time, Snowdon, a photographer in his own right, put his artistic stamp on the seven-Bedroomfour-the bathroom property, transforming it into a beautifully elegant and comfortable space that celebrated its quirky features, from an inglenook fireplace to original windows and exposed beams.
