Encombe House future a mystery

Description:

Mystery abounds regarding the the future of the vast Purbeck estate that was recently for sale at £25 million.

However one man shall not be moving in. The publicist of tycoon Richard Branson, who viewed the Encombe Estate in January, confirmed that he has not bought the estate.

The estate went up for sale last autumn but it would seem that it did not sell and the agent Savills has now said it has been removed from the market, but would not give any further details leaving questions over the mansion's future.

It was rumoured that singer Kylie Minogue was interested in the Grade II listed property, which has 12 bedrooms, a swimming pool and a Grecian-style temple.

In 2002 the estate was purchased for £15 million by American merchant banker Charles McVeigh and it has since been improved by him and his wife. The McVeigh's had found another property to restore and placed Encombe on the market with a price tag of £25 million.

The Encombe Estate has only changed hands five times in its 1,000 year history. In the 18th century it was owned by John Pitt, who was a distant relative of Prime Minister William Pitt and was sold in 1807 to Lord Eldon, the Lord Chancellor, staying in the same family until 2002.