The boy who rose from a New Jersey ‘monstrosity’ to one of Britain’s top …

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  • Richard L. Chilton has bought one of the finest homes in Britain
  • The financier has purchased Crichel House, in Dorset, and its parkland
  • The Grade 1 property dragged Winston Churchill into a political scandal

By
Simon Trump And Dominic Prince


PUBLISHED:

00:43 GMT, 7 July 2013


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UPDATED:

10:55 GMT, 7 July 2013

He was raised in a mock Victorian ‘monstrosity’ in the suburbs of New Jersey, but now Richard L Chilton, hedge fund billionaire, is the new owner of one of the finest homes in Britain.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Crichel House, the magnificent Grade 1 listed property in Dorset that dragged Winston Churchill into a political scandal, has been acquired by the 58-year-old financier after months of wrangling.

According to friends, he is planning to restore the Classical Revival property ‘to its former glory’ after buying it from the Marten family, who sold it after the apparent heir, Napier Marten, 54, reportedly ‘heard a voice saying shave my head and go to Australia’.

Richard L. Chilton, with daughter Sarah, is reported to have a £1.2billion fortune

Richard L. Chilton, with daughter Sarah, is reported to have a £1.2billion fortune

The £100 million estate was put on the market after the death of his mother, Mary Anna Marten, goddaughter of the Queen Mother and child playmate of Princess Margaret. 

Its sale has captured the imagination of historians after concerns it might be left in limbo after two years on the market.

But Mr Chilton, a conservationist, has now confirmed he has bought the property and plans to restore it. His spokesman told The Mail on Sunday: ‘In purchasing Crichel House, Mr Chilton, who has a rich history of preserving and restoring some of the finest architectural houses in the United States, is excited to restore and preserve its architectural integrity.’

The news has been welcomed by local people. Businessman Larry Kennedy said: ‘The secrecy surrounding the sale has been unsettling for the past two years. He’ll be embraced if he uses local labour rather than importing architects and builders from London.’

One of the finest hoems in britain, Crichel House, has been bought by the wealthy financier

One of the finest homes in Britain, Crichel House, has been bought by the wealthy financier

The house – rebuilt in 1742 after a fire destroyed the original Tudor building – formed the backdrop to the 1996 film version of Jane Austen’s Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and the Stanley Kubrick Hollywood costume drama Barry Lyndon, and in 1954 was at the centre of a political scandal over compulsory purchase. 

The Crichel Down Affair, as it became known, centred on 725 acres of agricultural land that was part  of the Crichel House estate but  had been compulsorily purchased in 1938 by the Air Ministry for use  for bombing practice by the Royal Air Force. 

Winston Churchill promised it would be handed back to the owners at the end of the war. When this did not happen, a public inquiry backed the family’s demands and ordered that it be sold back to them. 

The family trust was wound up at the end of last year and Land Registry records suggest that some parcels of land and property have been distributed among Napier’s five sisters.

The 10,000-acre Crichel Estate, which includes four villages with a total of 150 tenanted houses, a church, a cricket club and a school, had been on the market for £100 million, which would have made it the most expensive property sold in this country outside London.

The mock Victorian childhood home of Richard Chilton was a 'monstrosity'

The mock Victorian childhood home of Richard Chilton was a ‘monstrosity’

Another of Chilton's, who is married with four children, properties, located in Connecticut

Another of Chilton’s, who is married with four children, properties, located in Connecticut

But it failed to sell, despite the reported interest of Prince Charles, who was said to have considered the property as a potential family home for William and Kate.

But Mr Chilton, who is married with four children and who is reported to  have a fortune of $1.2 billion (£800 million) – has bought only Crichel House and its 400-acre parkland, which includes formal gardens and a huge horseshoe-shaped lake.

The rest of the estate is to be broken up and sold in separate lots. The sum was not disclosed but one developer estimated the house and land package at about £34 million. Refurbishing the house, however, ‘could easily swallow a further £10 million’.

Mark Harold, director of the National trust for the South West, said: ‘The acquisition of such an historically important property is extremely good news. This is a wonderful piece of British heritage that deserves to be preserved.’

Mr Chilton serves as a trustee of New York’s prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art and has previously saved several historic homes in America from neglect.

He grew up in a three-storey mock Victorian villa boasting a turret and a columned portico. David Applebaum, who hosts an architectural show on American TV, said the building would be considered a monstrosity today, though it was no worse than many similar mock Victorian homes built at the time.

Mr Chilton’s current home in Connecticut is a $5 million estate boasting a 1927 mansion, guest house, pool house and putting green.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.



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The sort of house that you could get lost in with the history and hidden nooks and crannies. So jealous but glad it’s not being turned into apartments like most big estates seem to these days.

Froot Loop
,

Bubbleville, Malta,
07/7/2013 08:57

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I actually like the ‘monstrocity’, it reminds me of many of the films that I love such as the original Cheaper by the Dozen and It’s a Wonderful Life.

Philip
,

Birmingham,
07/7/2013 07:56

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I like the fanciful old Victorian houses. Good looking daughter for heiress hunters to chase.

Joe
,

Ohio,
07/7/2013 07:12

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his childhood house is not a monstrosity! its actually very cute, Id live in in

medix
,

cape town, South Africa,
07/7/2013 05:14

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Crichel House and its 400-acre parkland, which includes formal gardens and a huge horseshoe-shaped lake. What a fantastic project to be able to embark on. I hope we get to hear more about how he gets on with it.

Pondering
,

UK,
07/7/2013 03:53

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