“THE FINEST house in the Channel Islands” proclaims the estate agent’s
advertisement for Radier Manor, Jersey. Quite a claim when set beside the
beauty of the Seigneurie on Sark, Carey Castle on Guernsey and Trinity Manor
on Jersey itself.
However, the special cachet of Radier Manor is that it was the home and very
much the creation of the 9th Earl of Jersey, who was not a Jerseyman at all
but a scion of the Child-Villiers dynasty, which was created in the 18th
century when England’s richest bankers, the Childs, married into the
illustrious Villiers family; George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, was
the celebrated favourite of Charles I.
The 9th Earl, George Francis Child-Villiers, was a handsome, distinguished and
charming man affectionately known as “Grandy”. In 1936, when he was 26, he
commissioned the great Sir Edwin Lutyens to build Middleton Park in
Oxfordshire. The earl barely lived there, and soon after the war began it
was requisitioned as a place for Polish airmen to convalesce in.
After the war, Lord Jersey came with his beautiful young Italian wife, Bianca,
to live in Jersey – where his tax advisers told him he had to go to save his
fortune. As it was, the family’s magnificent home at Osterley in Middlesex
had to be given to the state in lieu of tax. When it was later transferred
to the National Trust, Lord Jersey gave some of his finest furniture to be
put on show to the public. “Daddy wanted a house where you could look down a
valley and see the sea,” says his daughter, Lady Isabella Harrison, who grew
up at Radier. The house he bought was an old farmhouse with a stable block
dated 1812. The earl demolished the barn at the side of the house and built
a new entrance block with a large library with bookcases inspired by those
by Adam at Osterley.
Lord Jersey’s great work was laying out the garden in a characteristic 1950s
style with flowing lawns surrounded by deep curving beds. A grand elevated
garden terrace descends to a sizeable (for Jersey) lake. To the east, he
created a vista down an alley of camellias, with the gardens rising
dramatically up the far side of the valley. Unusually, the drive (which has
no turning circle) continues through the grounds as a garden path closely
edged with shrubs.
Like all Jersey farmhouses, Radier faces south to enjoy the full sun. Better
still, the house enjoys lovely long views across St Aubin’s Bay. Lady
Isabella recalls an idyllic childhood, with a beach house at La Roque a mile
away. “Daddy didn’t like sand in his sandwiches, so we had lunch in a dining
room on the edge of the beach,” she says.
From this secluded estate, the earl bred a superb herd of Jersey cattle,
although he chafed a little that his bulls often won prizes only after he
had sold them. He also acquired Jersey’s most fashionable seafront hotel,
L’Horizon, earning a loyal restaurant clientele as there was no mark-up on
the champagne: a grand marque could always be had for the price of a bottle
of Macon, as he wanted people to enjoy their nights out.
The Jerseys remodelled Radier twice in 50 years. One of the best features of
the house is Lord Jersey’s first-floor drawing room, opening on to a sunny
terrace. This served as his business room and as a second drawing room to
entertain guests. The bedrooms in the older part of the house have lovely
sunny views.
The new Lord Jersey has made a cinema room in the stable courtyard where his
grandfather created a splendid long gallery. Life at Radier was tragically
overshadowed by the death of both of Lord Jersey’s sons before him. His
grandson now plans to return to the mainland. As a result, one of the most
attractive and secluded estates in the Channel Islands is for sale. The
asking price for Radier Manor is £12.5 million, making it the most expensive
property yet offered in Jersey. With it comes a spectacular long gallery,
which is quite the best place on the island for giving a sparkling
candle-lit dinner for 50 people.
Marcus Binney reviews more of the finest country houses for sale in Britain
at: timesonline.co.uk/marcusbinney
THE SUNNIEST PLACE IN BRITAIN
JERSEY has one of the warmest climates in the British Isles, with an average
of 2,000 hours of sunshine a year – claimed to be the highest in the UK. The
island covers 45 square miles and in 2001 had a population of 87,000,
according to that year’s Census. The countryside is largely unspoilt and
there are 23 fine beaches and bays. The island is scattered with traditional
granite farmhouses, and is considered to be an exceptionally safe place for
families. Income tax is a single rate of 20 per cent and there are no
inheritance taxes. There are regular flights to mainland airports
(Southampton 35 min; Gatwick 40 min), and a new air link to Paris.
While prices of large traditional country houses in England have soared, those
in Jersey have remained static until recently. For years there were tight
restrictions on the number of new residents; this was relaxed in 2005.
Incomers now have show that they pay a minimum of £100,000 in income tax.
WHAT YOU GET: The whole of Radier Manor, including an upper drawing
room picture gallery, cinema, 61 acres, two cottages and three lodge houses.
In all, 11,905 sq ft.
WHERE IT IS: In the Bay of St Malo, 14 miles from France and 100 from
England.
WHERE TO EAT: Green Island, the most southerly restaurant in the
British Isles.
PRICE: Radier Manor is for sale for £12.5 million via Knight Frank,
020-7629 8171, and also Le Gallais, 01534 766689.
. . . AND TWO FOR THOSE WHO CAN ONLY AFFORD SEMI-SKIMMED
Château La Rocque
What you get: Five bedrooms, four bathrooms, three reception rooms,
kitchen, two-room annexe flat, three-room outhouse for staff or gym, tower.
2,500 sq ft.
Where it is: At La Rocque, south of Grouville bay. Ten minutes’ drive
from St Helier.
Upside: Five garages for cars and boats; the house is on a headland
between beaches.
Downside: Both house and garden are very exposed.
Cost: £3.5 million.
Contact: Broadlands, 01534 880770
Les Petits Cateaux
What you get: Two bedrooms, three bathrooms, two reception rooms,
office, courtyard. 2,000 sq ft in all.
Where it is: On a country lane at the edge of Trinity, near Rozel in
north Jersey. Ten minutes’ drive to St Helier.
Upside: Stylishly understated, with subtle colours from the pool to the
dining room.
Downside: The low-beamed ceilings would be hazardous for any tall
family members.
Cost: £1.95 million.
Contact: Choice, 01534 620620.
