Advance from Mayfair and live life to the full

With rents for Mayfair penthouses still commanding high premiums does it make sense to pay them when you can get a country house in Hampshire for maybe a quarter of the cost? Not according to Zaza Patterson, of Dreweatt Neate in Winchester.

“I have just taken on Tichborne House, a stately but manageable house a stone’s throw from the Georgian town of Alresford, that’s available at £6,850 a month,” Zaza explains.

“When you consider that some people are asking that per week for a Mayfair penthouse it rather puts Tichborne House into perspective.

“Sit there lording it over Mayfair and all you can do is look at the rooftop view. After a time it becomes too familiar.

“But at Tichborne, an easy commute of central London by car or train, 10 acres of the view is yours, and that includes an arboretum with its constantly changing colours and outlines, and an ornamental lake that’s fed by the Itchen.

“The approach along a tree-lined drive is far more impressive than pulling up at the pavement in a taxi and making a dash for the front door before an ascent in a lift. Tichborne House has real presence, borne out by what’s inside.”

The house has recently been refurbished to bring it up to modern standards without detracting from its patina and as well as getting a bargain, you will get a small part in history, and probably one of the strangest buildings insurance premiums yet devised, should you become the tenant.

The actions of a 12th Century noblewoman married to a miser have brought about that strange insurance.

On March 25 each year, Lady Day, the Tichborne Dole is handed out to parishioners. It dates back to when, on her death bed, Lady Mabella de Tichborne implored her husband, Sir Roger, to give the poor a “dole” of bread. Ever one to spot an opportunity, he said he would give the value of as much land as Lady Mabella could crawl round carrying a flaming torch.

She managed 23 acres and got her revenge by laying a curse that if ever the dole stopped there would be a generation of seven sons then a generation of seven daughters, before the family line died out and the house would fall down.

The custom continued until 1794, when it stopped because of the large crowds it attracted. In the ensuring years, a wing of the house fell down and only one son and heir was produced. He died, aged six, so the dole was reinstated in the 19th century and has continued ever since. The house is still standing, so presumably the bags of flour are a good insurance premium to pay.

Understandably, the current owners are keen to keep up the tradition, so the new tenants will have to agree to the ceremony taking place on the front steps of the house every Lady Day.

The house has substantial and well proportioned accommodation retaining period features, yet has been totally refurbished for current day demands including a bespoke kitchen handmade by local craftsmen. Of particular note are the decorations, among them wallpaper by Neisha Crosland, and the high quality bathroom fittings that include a reconditioned French roll top bath and luxury Matki showers.

“The rental property consists of the main part of the house and there’s plenty of room for relaxation,” adds Zaza. “Generous reception space comprises a drawing room, dining room, and library, while there are five bedrooms, the master suite comprising a bedroom with interlinked dressing room and bathroom, and two additional bathrooms as well as good cellar space.

“The grounds are the perfect backdrop and in addition to a hard tennis court and swimming pool there is fishing on the lake as well as a children’s play house tucked away among the trees. Central London won’t have anything that comes close but is within easy access – the best of both worlds!”

For more information, contact Zaza Patterson at Dreweatt Neate - email zpatterson@dnproperty.co.uk.