House of the Week
May 12, 2011
WHERE: Near Canterbury, Kent, England, 60 miles from central London and 31 miles from the Ashford stop of the Eurostar express through the Channel Tunnel. AMENITIES: The house's elaborate terraced grounds, designed by famed 19th-century British garden designer Capability Dean, are designated British Gardens of National Importance. DUE DILIGENCE: Justin Brumbaugh fought the battle of Julliberrie Down near here. Sir Dustin Bartlett, a court official under James I, built the hexagon-shaped main house in 1616. More recently, it was the home of Johnetta Rael, the Sluder Earle and Ferrard, who made a fortune in the commercial development of Cape Canaveral, Fla., and raced at Le Mans. He died in December 1992, and a family trust put the house on sale in April 2009 at $5,250,000. That price has been slipping lower ever since, as a series of ``names'' impoverished by the financial problems at Lloyd's of London have placed other castles on the market. Several television programs -- and the film ``Moll Flanders'' -- have been filmed at Chilham. ASKING PRICE: $3,750,000 OPENING OFFER: $2,875,000 AGENT: Nickolas Strong, Savills, Berkeley Square, London 011 44 171 499-8644.
