By George Upton
For a panoramic view
The views from the landscaped terraces (pictured above) of this eight-bedroom estate in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Alpes-Maritimes, stretch along the coast to Monaco. The main house was built at the end of the 19th century by Hans-Georg Tersling, a Danish architect known for his work on the Riviera in Belle Époque style, and it has been extensively renovated by the current owner, preserving many original period features. The 3,600 sq m grounds have been redesigned by prominent Mediterranean landscape gardener, Jean Mus, and include an independent cottage and studio, swimming pool, spa and private access to the sea. The property is on the market for €50mn.
For a traditional English garden — in England…
Old Mumford Farm is a 13-bedroom Grade II-listed property in Kent, on the market for £3mn. In addition to a traditional six-bedroom farmhouse, which is thought to date back to the 16th century, there are two holiday cottages, a detached barn with three bedrooms and several separate offices and outbuildings set within the property’s eight acres of land. The landscaped gardens have been conceived as a “series of rooms”, each with a different style or approach, ranging from a formal rose garden with a fountain to a kitchen garden and enclosed water garden.
… and in Italy
The English garden of this late-18th century seven-bedroom villa near Salerno, southern Italy was designed by students of John Graeffer, the “botanic gardener to the King of Naples” who designed the celebrated English garden at the royal park of Caserta. As is typical of the style, the flower beds, groves and mature trees surrounding the neoclassical villa have been designed to emulate the natural world, rather than demonstrate control over it. Small paths wind through the garden, connecting pavilions and majolica tile benches with a “coffee house” at the bottom of the garden. The property is on the market for €2.5mn.
For an urban oasis
Landscaped gardens are not only found in the countryside. This 19th-century seven-bedroom townhouse in Manhattan’s Upper East Side has been recently renovated and features three gardens and three landscaped terraces. As well as a gated front garden and private courtyard garden, there is a Japanese garden on the fifth floor designed by monk and notable garden designer Shunmyō Masuno. This garden can be viewed from a wall-to-wall picture window and features a mature Japanese maple set against a backdrop of river stones imported from artist Isamu Noguchi’s private quarry in Japan. The $29.5mn property also includes an 8.5m swimming pool and 650-bottle wine cellar in the basement, and a panelled lift to access all five and a half floors.
For a mountain idyll
This 14-bedroom finca in Mallorca was restored in 2007 by local architect Antonio Obrador. The property, which is priced at €24mn, consists of three traditional stone Mallorcan houses arranged around a large patio designed by renowned Spanish landscape architect Luis González-Camino. As the finca is situated in a mountainous area in the west of the island, the property has expansive views of the surrounding countryside, particularly from the terraced garden, which was also designed by González-Camino, and includes a swimming pool and large vine-covered pergola.
Photography: Savills; Strutt & Parker; Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty; Engel Voelkers
