Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon’s Historic Retreat on Market

The Old House, once the retreat of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, also known as Lord Snowdon, is up for sale for the first time. The property, located in West Sussex, is listed with the Blue Book Agency for approximately $5.3 million. Originally built in 1481, the home was gifted to Lord Snowdon by his uncle, designer Oliver Messel, before his marriage to the princess.

Spanning 5,750 square feet on 5.52 acres, Lord Snowdon turned the once-neglected home into a private escape from public life. The estate frequently hosted notable personalities such as actor Peter Sellers, ballet dancer Dame Margot Fonteyn, Bianca Jagger, and financier Sir Evelyn de Rothschild.

The statement by Theo James-Wright, Director at Blue Book Agency: “What Lord Snowdon created here was not simply a private home but an extraordinary creative retreat.”

The Old House played a role in British cultural history, mixing royalty with artists, actors, writers, and designers. It inspired an episode in season three of Netflix’s “The Crown.” Inside, features include a rustic entryway and living room with a unique fireplace. Essential elements added by Snowdon include a redesigned kitchen, a balcony from Ascot Racecourse’s Royal Box, and a lake created by him.

The property comprises a main house with six bedrooms, a pool house usable as a guest suite, a garden office, library, and other facilities. The home includes varied rooms, such as a second seating area for office use, decorated with a fireplace. Ben Wright Photography beautifully captures these interiors.

Though the property was sold privately in 2003, its public market debut is a rare event, according to James-Wright. “Opportunities to acquire houses with this level of provenance…do not come along very often,” he asserted.

Princess Margaret met Lord Snowdon in 1958, leading to a swift romance and engagement announcement in February 1960 by the palace. They wed in May 1960 at Westminster Abbey, marking the first televised royal wedding with a viewership of around 300 million globally. During their union, they welcomed David Armstrong-Jones and Lady Sarah Chatto.

After 16 years of marriage, the couple parted ways in 1976, finalizing their divorce in 1978. Despite the separation, they maintained close ties in subsequent years. Following the divorce, Snowdon remarried Lucy Lindsay-Hogg in 1978, while Princess Margaret chose not to. Her death occurred in February 2002 at age 71 from a stroke, with a prior decline in health during the 1990s, while Lord Snowdon passed away in January 2017 at age 86.

The estate continues to boast manicured lawns, hedges, and a significant swimming pool with a pool house available for guest use.