Robb Report Best of the Best Award - Cherry Hill, the U.S. Ambassador’s English Country Estate
As massive congratulations to LPF Founding Members Bath & Bath whose iconic development, Cherry Hill, the U.S. Ambassador’s English Country Estate has been awarded a Robb Report Best of the Best award!
Robb Report is the leading voice in global luxury and this is our 33rd consecutive year recognizing and rewarding those who have stood apart from their peers for their exceptional craftsmanship, extraordinary attention to detail and relentless pursuit of perfection in their field.
Cherry Hill’s award for world’s best historic home is an excellent example of this, due to its exceptional combination of architectural importance, meticulous renovation and a fascinating social and political history.
Background
Cherry Hill was the former UK country estate of one of the most successful American Ambassadors to Great Britain, John Hay Whitney, the scion of one of Boston’s oldest and wealthiest families. Ambassador Whitney was not only an heir to a large fortune but a pioneer in the concept of venture capital, as well as an influential philanthropist. Forbes ranked him among the seven richest men in the world in the 1970s. With their wealth, exquisite taste, and refined aesthetic, the Whitneys created a style that was the envy of post-war British society. This home was the perfect setting for their fabulous art collection, which included both Old Masters and Impressionists, and for their extensive entertaining.
The property, a stone’s throw from London, is located at the heart of the Wentworth Estate, Surrey. The estate is home to the Wentworth Club, regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious golf clubs and host of the PGA championship. Whilst most of the properties on the Wentworth Estate are either Arts and Crafts inspired ‘Tarrant’ houses, or newly built mock neo-classical homes, Cherry Hill stands apart as a surprising and unique example of British modernist architecture.
Cherry Hill was built in the 1930s for businesswoman, Katherine Hannah Newton, by the architect Oliver Hill - an eccentric and self-made man who was mentored by Sir Edwin Lutyens. At first sight, Cherry Hill appears to be a resolutely ‘modern’ house, directly inspired by the architectural theories of the German teaching of Bauhaus, founded by Walter Gropius. Hill, however, was a non-conformist and incorporated his own style into the creation of Cherry Hill, with a focus on integrating the new building within its natural surroundings.
Cherry Hill sits in four plus acres in a secluded and private position. The house was designed to wrap around two Scots pines trees and envelop the inhabitants with natural light throughout the day. Upon arrival, you are met by a grand sculptural staircase wrapped by a curved double height glass structure. It is not until you are inside the house that you fully appreciate the masterpiece that has been created.
The house is grand in its simplicity, harmonious in its proportions, and ideal for living. Brought up to the latest standards by bespoke developer Bath & Bath, the painstakingly restored building has recently been bracketed by two elegant pavilions to provide all the expected amenities of modern life, such as a discreet indoor swimming pool, a cinema, a wine cellar and a separate utility wing. To give further unity to the whole and in keeping with Oliver Hill’s passion for interior design, rare types of Italian marble, granite and onyx, as well as lavish panels of exotic woods, have been carefully selected to enhance the play of light on all surfaces of its interior and exterior.
ABOUT Bath & Bath
The Bath brothers, Tejit and Jess are the principals and developers behind Cherry Hill. The low-profile duo allow their projects to speak for themselves.
The Grosvenor Estate praised their 21,000 sq ft Grade I listed building development in Belgrave Square, Belgravia:
“You have undoubtedly created one of the finest houses in Belgravia and in particular the workmanship is something that is rarely seen. In the Grosvenor offices, we regard this as having been one of the best run developments we have seen on the estate.”
The brothers have been developing properties for 36 years without the help of joint venture partners or investors which allows them not be constrained by time or budgets. As a result, they proudly claim the title of Britain’s slowest developer with their attention to detail and design. Their ethos is to create a legacy of architecturally renowned homes that will be revered long after they have gone.
The restoration and rebirth of listed buildings has been their forte. They have a vision for what can be created while respecting the historic design. They scour the world to source the incredibly beautiful and natural materials to use in their projects. Unusually, they directly employ artisan craftsmen and contractors so that they have full control over every aspect of the build process. At Cherry Hill, they constructed a temporary stonework factory with materials arriving in slab form and being fabricated on demand to exacting dimensions for the property. Over 100 tonnes of stones were prepared in this way and arrived from quarries all around the world with rigorous personal inspections before their despatch.
For decades, the brothers were focused on developing large single-family mansions in Prime Central London. They then ventured into the ultra high net worth enclaves of Berkshire and Surrey after finding that there were no properties of the quality desired by the refined tastes of their typical buyers who wanted co-primary residences within easy reach of London. They have a simple vision to create the most unique and best in class of country property. This depends not just on what they bring to the property but its natural environment, its existing aspect and its design pedigree. This understanding meant selecting properties that had rarity value, an unparalleled location and a certain aesthetic.
Past buyers of their homes include Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, Sir John Beckwith, Chai Patel, the Juffali family and Gennadiy Bogolyubov.
As well as restoring gems, the brothers have built a new property that architecturally fits into the tradition of the ‘spread palace-house’ of English Baroque architecture on a scale and level of detail that has not been seen in Great Britain for over one hundred years using over 3,000 tonnes of stone. As one professional commented “the brothers have a talent in making historic buildings look new and creating new buildings that look historic”.
Their projects have been featured in the likes of Architectural Digest, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Country Life.
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BATH & BATH
Exceptional Residential Property Development & Investment. Modern Masterpieces.
https://www.bath-bath.co.uk
21-23 Mossop Street, London SW3 2LY
Telephone: 020-7225-2100