Reddish House, Cecil Beaton’s ‘Dream Home’ is On the Market for £4M
This property is on the market for £4,000,000, listed by Lindlsay Cuthill of Savills.
He was a well-respected fashion photographer, photographer to several generations of the Royal family, as well as a successful set and costume designer most famous for his work in ‘My Fair Lady’.
Cecil Beaton at Reddish House, 1968. Photo by Manfredi Bellati
Known as Britain’s Renaissance man, the reputed hedonist rose to fame in the 1920s with his photographs documenting the “Bright Young Things”. The lost generation' was a phrase popularized by Ernest Hemingway, referring to the generation of bohemian young socialites and aristocrats of which he was a member.
They would throw elaborate parties, go on midnight treasure hunts through the streets of London, dabble in drugs and drink heavily. His photographs depicted the extravagant world of post-WWI Britain, a creative cultural era where High Society mingled with the avant-garde.
Following his success on Broadway and with a film contract in the works, Beaton purchased the home in 1947 for £10,000. He would live there for 30 years, attracting high profile guests like Truman Capote, David Hockney, and Francis Bacon; actress Greta Garbo spent 6 idyllic weeks at the home. The property was frequently used as a backdrop for Vogue photoshoots.
Greta Garbo at Reddish House.
CECIL BEATON/CONDÝ NAST/GETTY IMAGES
“Most of all I love to live in an atmosphere like this house and garden, which is sympathetic and civilised. I have reached Home,” he is quoted in ‘Cecil Beaton at Home’.
Reddish House is an elegant Queen Anne-style home set on nearly 6 acres in the Wiltshire’s Chalke Valley, in the heart of the village of Broad Chalke.
Fronting on to the River Avon, the property features a lovely water garden created by Beaton in the early 70s. There are several walled garden rooms (including Beaton’s rose and peony gardens), as well as a greenhouse and kitchen garden producing fruits and vegetables.
The property dates back almost 400 years, as detailed in the historical archive created by Cecil Beaton, which rivals that of the county archivist. The country home was rebuilt between 1715-1720, constructed with mellow red brick and features classical design elements, as noted in the Corinthian pilasters holding up the pediment and entablature over the front door. There is also a bust, believed to be of Charles II.
The interiors of Reddish House also feature classical proportions, with high ceilings and marble Italianate columns in the front hall. There are several working fireplaces, and most of the rooms have working shutters. The rooms are grand, and include a converted carriage room,a spacious mezzanine with a library and elegant drawing room, extended and enhanced with curved walls and further pillars. In addition to the main house, there are 2 cottages set back from the main property offering additional accommodations.
“It is without question one of the most beautiful houses in England with all the benefits of village life and all the privacy of a somewhere more isolated, in short the best of all worlds,” says Savills agent Lindsay Cuthill of the home.
