A 350-year-old estate in Barbados that’s hosted royals and Helen Mirren, furnished with 400 potted plants
Oh, and it comes with 400 pot plants.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, then Prince Edward, and the Duke of Sussex likely felt at home when they dined at grand Lancaster Great House, a sugar-pink, shuttered mansion on Barbados’s west coastline.
The colonial-era estate was constructed during the Jacobean period and later renovated to fit a Georgian aesthetic. And plenty of the original features dating back to 1674 survive, including architectural details and the entrance gates. The principal residence comprises four generously-sized bedrooms and three bathrooms; a charming one-bedroom garden cottage with a loft is perfectly set up for guests or staff.
Originally built as a plantation house, Lancaster Great House was later used as a government building and, more recently, as an art gallery and a space in which to host celebrities and royals. Cliff Richard, Helen Mirren and the aforementioned princes have all dined on site — though it’s not sure what for. Perhaps it took place during the Duke of Sussex’s highly-publicised visit to the island in 2016 to celebrate the country’s 50th independence anniversary and raise HIV/AIDS awareness on World AIDS Day, alongside Barbadian singer Rihanna.
There are multiple dining rooms that Richard, Mirren and the two princes might’ve found themselves in, featured in the listing, including a more traditional space with crimson red stripe walls, portrait paintings and an elaborate chandelier, and a chartreuse green one with contemporary art and, inexplicably, rails of fancy dress clothing. Other rooms of note include an open-sided veranda with a fairy-light strewn ceiling and fun, floral sofas, and a duck egg blue snug with what looks like a very beautiful, freestanding linen cupboard in it, covered in paintings of vervet monkeys. There are varnished wooden floors throughout.
However, the pièce de résistance is the two-acre garden. Planted with centuries-old mahogany and fruit trees and studded with more than 400 pot plants, it is a wonder to behold. Much is down to the current occupants, who have owned the property for more than a decade and added extensively to the gardens, as well as undertaking restoration work on the building itself.
Lancaster Great House is in the popular parish of St. James’s and less than 10 minutes from the beach (Paynes Bay, Sandy Lane Beach and Holetown Beach are among the more popular). The area is sometimes referred to as the ‘Platinum Coast’ because of the number of wealthy expatriates and celebrity holidaymakers milling around. This sale is a rare opportunity to join them and the property offers the flexibility to function as a private residence, an exclusive entertaining venue or legacy investment.
Lancaster Great House is for sale with One Caribbean Estates for $1.595 million (about £1.18 million. For more information and pictures, click here.
