Inside a $35 Million Ultra-Modern Country Estate Near Windsor Castle
The English countryside is brimming with historic estates and centuries-old castles apt for myriad outdoor pursuits from tennis and swimming to horseback riding and hunting. Richard Bellman, the founder of the development group Quada, however, wanted something a little different, a home that reflected of-the-moment design and architecture while also providing all the fixings that make an English country spread so appealing. The result was Harford Manor, now available via Alex Mathew of Harding Green with a price tag of $35 million.
“Architecture and culture develop as a living, vibrant experience which is not meant to stand still,” developer Richard Bellman tells Robb Report. “The U.K. has a tradition of cultural evolution, but most new country houses here tend to look backwards for their design references rather than forwards. I aimed to create an uncompromised home environment at Harford Manor which reflects, and is capable of, developing with the age we are living in, rather than one which has to be shoehorned into designs that are over 200 years old.”
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Completed in 2018 just an hour west of London, Harford Manor is perfectly situated between Ascot and Windsor in the suburban village of Holyport, in a conservation area with large private homes, equestrian properties, and working farms. It is one of Britain’s most prestigious areas for polo playing, home to the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club and the Guards Polo Club, designed by King Charles III when he was Prince of Wales. Several famous racetracks, including the Ascot Racecourse, are also nearby, and a few minutes away is Windsor Castle, where King Charles III lives. Indeed, there are views of the castle from Harford Manor.
The 40-acre spread is fronted by grand gates and has a 1,640-foot tree-lined driveway that leads to the 20,000-square-foot residence. Unlike traditional countryside homes patinated by the past, this gleaming property is rooted firmly in the 21st century with a modern facade featuring brick and wood-paneled walls, oversized windows that allow in plenty of natural light inside, and pronounced rooflines.
Inside, there are six en suite bedrooms for family and guests, as well as a trio of staff bedrooms. The sleek foyer opens into a light-filled galleria with a fireplace and a massive living room. For those who prefer a turnkey option, the residence is being sold with its carefully curated bespoke furnishings and fixtures, as well as the art, with works by Bea Kayani and Bill Bates, and the custom wallpaper from French fashion designer Christian Lacroix.
There’s a 45-foot-long dining room that can host up to 28 people and a gourmet chef’s kitchen with a 23-foot-long island that cantilevers over the floor at one end. A hidden chef’s kitchen is perfect for larger events. Elsewhere on the main level is a quiet library, an art gallery with a piano, a movie theater with a billiards table, a 1,000-bottle wine cellar, a stylish mud/boot room, and an orangery.
Nearly an entire wing of the second floor is dedicated to the primary suite, which has a fireplace, a private patio, two full bathrooms, and a massive walk-in closet. There’s also a sauna and a steam shower. The secondary bedrooms are spread throughout the second level, while the third floor has a study/office with open views over the landscape. Attached to the main residence is a garage that can fit up to eight vehicles and a separate pavilion that houses an ultra-luxe gym and a 40-foot indoor swimming pool with a spillover spa.
The main floor spills onto a series of interconnected patios. A walled part of the yard includes an expanse of lawn, while the landscaped areas outside the courtyard include a grass tennis court with a courtside gazebo and a modern stabling block and an indoor arena. There’s also an outdoor polo arena, a canter track, a stick’n ball polo pitch and, for quick jaunts into London, a helipad.
“What I have done is to combine wow with intimacy, modern design with useability, and a sense of being different with functionality and purpose,” Bellman says. “Think: [Edwin] Luytens meets [Charles Rennie] Mackintosh; Colonial style meets New England sensibility; and east meets west. I wanted to build spaces, not walls. In short, I wanted Harford Manor to be a home that you want to come to and return to.”
Click here for more photos of the ultra-modern residence in the U.K.
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