Legendary Hollywood director Ridley Scott’s former 18th century Hampstead home has gone up on the market for the first time since the 1980s with a whopping £28 million price tag.
Old Grove House had been the home of the Oscar-winning director behind box-office hits Gladiator and Alien for 15 years, before he undertook a refurbishment in 2006.
The Grade-II house comes with its own sprawling walled garden with impressive topiaries and stone features inspired by nearby Fenton House.
The eight-bedroom home offers a slice of country-life in North London and features a roof terrace boating stunning views of some of the capital’s landmarks including the Shard, Canary Wharf and Battersea Power Station.
The lucky buyer would also be the proud new owner of an annex known as Cottage House which comes with a bedroom, kitchen-dining area and living room.
Old Grove House had been the home of the Oscar-winning director behind box-office hits Gladiator and Alien for 15 years before he oversaw refurbishment in 2006
Legendary Hollywood director Ridley Scott’s former 18th century Hampstead home has gone up on the market for the first time since the 1980s
The period property features a formal drawing room, a family room and two ensuite bedrooms, one of which even comes with a sauna and terrace.
The spacious kitchen, study, utility and boot room, another reception room and dining room are all located on the ground floor which boast a perfect blend between modern airiness and the opulence of period features.
A wine cellar in the basement offers a generous space for all of your vintages.
The impressive Hampstead home was given a new lease on life after interior designer Chester Jones was brought in by Scott to freshen up the property which was built in the early 18th century.
Jones was not impressed by the property on first impression and gave a scathing review of its previous interior in a report for the planning application at the time.
He wrote: ‘Let us banish all of the nostalgic bits and bobs.
‘Rooms would benefit from film memorabilia, reference books, posters, photos and some drawings.
‘The lower-ground floor back entrance hall is a joke – the plasterwork looks like a Sixties Brighton hairdressing salon.
‘Surely this must be stripped out and simplified.
The grade-II house comes with its own sprawling walled garden with gorgeous topiaries and stone features inspired by nearby Fenton House
The impressive Hampstead home was given a new lease on life after interior designer Chester Jones was brought in my Scott to freshen up the property
The property’s impressive original features include wood paneling, fireplaces and rococo plastering
‘As a first impression of the house, it is not a good one.’
He added: ‘I feel that neither the planning nor the decorations work in this house. The decorations are too imitation to be satisfactory.’
Some of the more antiquated features of the home were ruthlessly stripped out by Jones, such as the canary-yellow study, chandeliers and stone busts, to bring out its impressive original features, such as the wood paneling, fireplaces and rococo plastering.
Scott shared the grand home with Giannina Facio, his partner at the time and now his third wife, who also played Maximus’s wife in Gladiator.
The couple lived in the home while Scott worked on his Hollywood masterpieces which included Gladiator, Thelma and Louise and Hannibal before selling the property off-market for £26.5 million to a local couple.
James Diaper of Savills, one of the agents marketing the house, told The Times that the new owners had ‘probably paid a slight premium for it’.
Ridely Scott is the legendary director behind 2000 film Gladiator starring Russell Crowe
The couple lived in the home while Scott worked on his Hollywood masterpieces which included 1991 film Thelma and Louise
He added: ‘But it shows the love for the house.’
Old Grove House is no stranger to renovations and fine tuning to its dazzling interiors with additions made in 1730 and renovations in 1912 and 1959 before Scott’s 2006 makeover.
Sebastian Gibson, director at joint agent FG Consultants, told the Evening Standard: ‘I’ve never seen a property that marries such architectural merit along with elegant living, grand reception spaces along with intimate ones, classical design with cosy living, a secret garden that belies being steps away from the heart of Hampstead villages and unparallel views across London.’
Old Grove House is currently on the market via Savills with a guide price of £28 million.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12207315/Hollywood-director-Ridley-Scotts-former-Grade-II-listed-home-goes-market.html
