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Historic private estate goes on sale for £65m

Jake Wallace
Savills A picture of the Havilland Hall's main house. It is a large white building with large white columns.Savills
Arranged over four floors, Havilland Hall provides more than 17,000 sq ft of accommodation

A mansion once home to lieutenant-governors, a marmalade magnate and family of Oscar-winning actresses has been put on the market for £65m.

Havilland Hall in Guernsey sits in about 80 acres of land, has six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, five reception rooms, an indoor pool and is being marketed as the island's largest private estate.

The property's nearly 200-year history includes periods owned by marmalade businessman William Keiller, while descendants of its original owner included Oscar-winning actresses Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine.

Estate agents Savills said estates of this scale were "extraordinarily rare in the Channel Islands and it is likely to draw a global audience."

Built by Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Fiott de Havilland between 1829 and 1830, it later served as the official residence of Guernsey's lieutenant-governors.

William Keiller, whose family created the first commercial Dundee marmalade brand, was among the estate's former owners.

Savills A view of the estate showing the large house and vast green land, gardens and padel courts. Savills
The estate features formal gardens, parkland and agricultural land.

The estate was bought in 1922 by Count Lothair Blücher von Wahlstatt, whose family traced its ancestry to the Prussian commander whose forces helped the Duke of Wellington defeat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.

The estate also has a connection to the wider de Havilland dynasty, whose later generations included aviation pioneer Sir Geoffrey de Havilland and Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine.

Getty Images Olivia de Havilland (left) with her sister, Joan Fontaine, (circa 1945)Getty Images
Golden Age of Hollywood stars Olivia de Havilland (left) with her sister, Joan Fontaine, (circa 1945) had family links to the house

As well as the main house, the estate includes five guest cottages, staff accommodation, office space, converted farm buildings, a wine cellar and games room.

Phillippa Dalby-Welsh, head of Savills' country department, described Havilland Hall as a "pre-eminent Channel Island estate".

Savills A view inside the house showing a grand room with two large chandeliers. Paintings on the wall and ornate decoration and furniture. Savills
The estate also has a temperature-controlled wine cellar and tasting room, a games room, a gym, a sauna and a steam room.

She said: "At its heart is a distinguished Regency villa, with great provenance, alongside beautiful gardens, a wide range of ancillary accommodation, leisure facilities and the infrastructure to support a business operation.

"Estates of this scale are extraordinarily rare in the Channel Islands and it is likely to draw a global audience."

Nick Paluch, head of Savills' Guernsey open market residential business, said: "This truly is a superb home and a once in a generation opportunity."

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