Princess Margaret's former English country retreat lists for $5.3M
Princess Margaret's former English country retreat, The Old House in West Sussex, is on the market for the first time at £3.95 million (about $5.3 million). The 15th-century estate where the princess and Lord Snowdon hosted aristocrats and artists later inspired scenes in Netflix's The Crown, putting a storied slice of royal history up for grabs.
Key Takeaways
- The Old House dates to 1481 and spans roughly 5,750 square feet with six bedrooms across 5.5 landscaped acres.
- Antony Armstrong-Jones received the cottage from his uncle Oliver Messel before marrying Princess Margaret in 1960.
- Weekend guests included Peter Sellers, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Bianca Jagger, and Sir Evelyn de Rothschild.
- Lord Snowdon sold the home privately in 2003; current owners bought it off-market in 2005.
- Blue Book Agency lists the property at £3.95 million, equivalent to about $5.3 million.
Why is Princess Margaret's former English country retreat for sale now?
Known as The Old House, the rambling West Sussex property is appearing on the open market for the first time in its history. Lord Snowdon sold it privately in 2003, and the current owners acquired it in another off-market deal two years later.
Now listed with Blue Book Agency at £3.95 million (about $5.3 million), the sale opens access to a retreat that long served as an escape from the couple's apartment at Kensington Palace. For more celebrity and heritage listings, browse our Luxury Real Estate & Dream Homes coverage.
What makes The Old House a Crown-worthy estate?
Long before Netflix dramatized royal life, The Old House was already part of Britain's cultural story. Its colorful past inspired a season-three episode of The Crown, according to Robb Report.
The residence reflects more than five centuries of additions. Georgian expansions layered onto the original Tudor structure created exposed timber beams, original fireplaces, Georgian paneling, and bay windows. A double reception room overlooks gardens, while an Aga-equipped kitchen opens onto terraces facing Snowdon's man-made lake.
One upstairs bathroom still features vintage newspaper clippings, royal gossip, and family photographs—one of Snowdon's quirkiest design choices, largely untouched for decades.
Who lived and partied at this West Sussex retreat?
Artist and stage designer Oliver Messel gifted the once-dilapidated cottage to Armstrong-Jones shortly before the photographer married Princess Margaret in 1960. Snowdon transformed it into a secluded country house where European aristocrats mingled with writers, actors, and artists.
By the mid-1960s, weekends at The Old House were society legend. Guests included actor Peter Sellers, ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn, Bianca Jagger, financier Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, and author Edna O'Brien. The Queen Mother even presided over the opening of the estate's stepping stones during an on-property ceremony.
What does $5.3 million buy on the grounds?
Beyond the main house, the 5.5-acre estate includes formal garden rooms linked by bridges, stepping stones, and water features. An island pavilion, restored vegetable gardens, and spring bluebells anchor the landscaped grounds around Snowdon's man-made lake.
Outbuildings add creative flair: a pool house with guest accommodations, a library housed in Snowdon's former photographic darkroom, and a folly built from a balcony salvaged from Ascot Racecourse's Royal Box. One bedroom preserves its original exposed timber framing.
"There are country houses and then there are houses that become part of the national story. The Old House falls firmly into the latter category," Blue Book Agency director Theo James-Wright told Robb Report. "What Lord Snowdon created here was not simply a private home but an extraordinary creative retreat."