There has been a grand launch of Wildernesse House in Sevenoaks, which consists of a Grade II listed house set in grounds of 24 acres, formerly the country estate of the Marquess of Camden and later Lord Hillingdon, now sympathetically transformed into a new high-end retirement community.
Following refurbishment work by developer Elysian Residences, the newly opened Wildernesse House comprises 23 luxurious apartments in the main house, complemented by eight newly built contemporary mews houses. All the properties benefit from the exclusive use of on-site 5-star hotel-style facilities, including the Great Hall with bar and lounge area; the library curated by award-winning Sevenoaks Bookshop, the Pavilion restaurant and health spa with swimming pool and treatment rooms, set in 24 acres of gardens and landscaped grounds, with croquet lawn.
The estate’s fascinating history dates back to 1327 and it has served numerous roles, being home to three generations of the Marquess of Camden in the 18th and 19th centuries, banker Lord Hillingdon and family from 1884. During these times it was visited by a number of famous guests including the Duke of Wellington, Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger, the Rothschild family, Lord Randolph Churchill, Viscount Chelsea, the 10th Duke of Marlborough, and the Harewood family, including HRH Princess Mary, the Princess Royal.
In 2020, Elysian Residences acquired Wildernesse House and undertook enhancements to the specification, amenities and interiors of the main house into order to transform the country house into “Kent’s finest luxury retirement community”, combining great amenities with flexible service and additional care and support .
Arriving via the tree-lined drive, Wildernesse House is entered via a pillared stone portico, leading into reception, Great Hall and library, the original principal reception rooms. With 18-ft high ceiling, baronial fireplace, parquet flooring and full-height windows overlooking the gardens, the Great Hall features a concert grand piano and uses credenzas to create a series of individual entertaining areas within the room. Elysian Residences has introduced a new cocktail and coffee bar into the Great Hall, creating a focal point for homeowners to meet and entertain.
In the library new lighting and joinery matching the classic interiors of the Great Hall has been installed. It is arranged to either side of the main staircase and was curated over a two-month period by Fleur Sinclair, vice president of the Booksellers Association and proprietor of the Sevenoaks Bookshop, which was first opened in 1948 and under the custodianship of Fleur Sinclair won The British Bookshop Awards prestigious Independent Bookshop of The Year Award in 2021.
Providing over 600 books, the newly restored library provides non-fiction books along one side of the staircase and fiction and children’s books on the other. The library’s bays are organised to offer 13 sections containing classics, fiction, prize winning authors, travel, food, sport, biographies, art, fashion, interiors, nature writing, gardening and children’s books.
In the apartments, some layouts were enhanced and Elysian specification fixtures and fittings were installed, including bespoke door handles, custom joinery and lighting. Kitchens and bathrooms were also styled to provide the signature Elysian quality including marble, stone and high-gloss finishes. The result is a collection of 23 apartments in the main house all with individual layouts and features, with large open-plan living, dining and kitchen areas. A limited number of the apartments are heritage apartments which encompass the state rooms of the house, creating genuinely one-of-a-kind homes, some with 18-ft high ceilings, ornate plasterwork and full-height windows. A further 53 new build apartments, set in the leafy southern section of the grounds will be open in 2023.
On the lower ground floor of the main house is the luxurious health spa, for homeowners and guests, offering a sauna, steam room, treatment rooms, gym, changing rooms and a swimming pool that benefits from lots of natural light, cascading in through tall windows.
Across the lawn from the main house is the Pavilion restaurant where homeowners, their guests and the local community can enjoy a range of menus throughout the day, using locally sourced Kent ingredients: facilities include a café, kitchen, coffee bar, private dining area and outside seating.
In the landscaped gardens and grounds of Wildernesse House homeowners will be able to relax and entertain, using the large paved front and rear terraces that overlook the formal lawns, and enjoy the gardens and grounds.
Now officially opened by Cllr Diana Esler, Chairman of Sevenoaks District Council and Cllr Dr Merilyn Canet, the Mayor of Sevenoaks, Wildernesse House is becoming a thriving new retirement community. So well received is the new launch that Elysian Residences has now sold over 40% of the main house apartments and the newly built mews houses.
Elysian Residences chief executive officer, Gavin Stein, says: “Setting a new benchmark for quality and lifestyle, Wildernesse House is a classic English country house transformed into the most luxurious and exceptional retirement community in the Home Counties. What makes Wildernesse House so special is that it is staffed by a superbly well-trained Elysian team whose purpose is to attend to the needs and requirements of the homeowners. It is this matchless day-to-day service and warm personal approach to customer care that sets an Elysian Residences’ retirement community apart and makes this magnificent estate a home.”
Prices at Wildernesse House start from £970,000 for an apartment in the main house and £1.15million for a mews house, with the new builds available from 2023 priced from £580,0000 (other fees also apply). Find out more at www.wildernessehouse.com.
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