It is all too easy to underestimate the subtle effect that Martha’s Vineyard — an island 70 miles south of Boston, America, as the crow flies, and 45 miles from Newport, Rhode Island — has had on popular culture.
Easily dismissed as a playground for the rich and famous, the East Coast speck, along with neighbouring Cape Cod peninsula and Nantucket island, has in fact cemented fashion trends, foods and interior styles — and it's where one of the best known films of the 20th century was made.
The original Jaws, directed by Steve Spielberg, was filmed in Edgartown — the nearest town to this property, called Beach Farm. (The 18.6 acre waterfront estate on Martha’s southern shores is for sale with Corcoran, for a cool $33million.) Released fifty years ago, the film was hailed as the first proper summer blockbuster and laid the foundations for modern day movie promotion.
Preppy style, rooted in the elite private preparatory school and Ivy League university traditions of the early-20th century, soared to global heights several decades later when it was adopted to great effect by the Kennedys (think boat shoes and tailored shorts) on their summer sojourns to the family’s Hyannis Port compound. Clam chowder, lobster rolls and sweetcorn stands are synonymous with the area. As is New England architecture and interior design — though it’s anything but new, dating back to the 17th century.
Senator John F. Kennedy — then a US Senator — and his fiancé Jacqueline Bouvier go sailing while on holiday at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, in June 1953.
Characterised by its sturdy construction, steep gabled roofs, central chimneys and symmetrical design on the outside, and tongue and groove panelling and nautical colour schemes on the inside, New England style was America’s answer to actual England’s Georgian aesthetic.
Naturally, the style has evolved with time. It has — ironically — travelled back across the pond to leave its mark on British modern-day country house interiors and coastal homes, and in turn has been subject to exterior influences, chiefly those from Scandinavia.
Beach Farm is the best example of a melding of New England and Scandi styles. Yes, there’s tongue and groove panelling in the spacious, gabled living room and yes, someone has stuck to a very restrained marine blue and white colour palette, but there’s also been a clear emphasis on wood (the whole main house is clad in it), uncluttered spaces and natural light. In fact, floor to ceiling windows on each side of the property means that, in parts, you can see right through it — to the ocean on one side and Edgartown Great Pond on the other.
Beach Farm actually comes with two main buildings, the bigger house in which there are six bedrooms, and the next door Surf House which has a further three, plus, in another nod east to Scandinavia, an outdoor sauna and plunge pool. Elsewhere, there’s a workout barn, vegetable garden and well-established grounds that spill out at the edges onto two private beaches.
Described by Corcoran as ‘truly one-of-a-kind’, the estate is a part of Herring Creek Farm, an exclusive 200 acre enclave of beautiful homes and a working farm, all crisscrossed by sandy paths. (Following a protracted legal battle, developers were only allowed to construct a limited amount of homes to best protect the ecologically delicate site — look out for northern harriers and engaged sparrows.) Edgartown — with its picturesque harbour, boutique shops and fresh fish market — is a short bike ride away; the local airport is 12 minutes by car.
Take the plunge and purchase Beach Farm and you’ll join an exclusive roster of Martha Vineyard homeowners and holiday-goers, including Jackie Kennedy Onassis, whose Greek shipping magnate husband purchased Red Gate Farm for her, Diane Sawyer, the Obamas and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Beach Farm House is for sale at $33 million (about £24.5 million) — see more pictures and details
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