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User:Kaliforniyka/Rest Harrow, Sandwich Bay

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Rest Harrow is an arts-and-crafts-style residence at Sandwich Bay, Kent, England. The home was the summer retreat of Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, the first female elected to parliament in the United Kingdom.[1]

Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor

[2]

a 14-bedroom,  architecture residence on the Kent coast, prefers to remain anonymous but the house’s history ensures that the property itself will draw attention.


The social butterfly even had her bathroom designed so that she could shower and continue a conversation with her guests, with her modesty still intact. seaside retreat while her husband would fish and stalk on the Isle of Jura in Scotland. Spending hours putting on the golf course and paddling with her maids on the shores, Lady Astor believed in the benefits of the seawater so much that she piped it directly into her grand bathroom.[3]



The sale of the estate, which sits on 3.05 acres, or 1.2 hectares, and comprises the house, includes 11,560 square feet, or 1,074 square meters, of living space; a staff cottage of 1,829 square feet; and gardens with outdoor and indoor tennis courts.


The Astors regularly spent their summers with their children and grandchildren at Rest Harrow. Lady Astor loved to entertain and famous guests of the period included the writer George Bernard Shaw, and two former prime ministers, Harold Macmillan and Winston Churchill. More recent guests have included another British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, and the author V.S. Naipaul, a Nobel Prize laureate.

In 1912 it was lent to Winston Churchill's family, visited in August. Two suffragettes blocked the road with their bicycles.[4]

The house was put on the market by Lady Astor's grandson in 2012 and sold to an anonymous buyer.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Latham, Laura (14 March 2013). "Living With a Touch of Astor Family History". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  2. ^ Latham, Laura (20 August 2024). "A retreat fit for a grande dame". The Times. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  3. ^ Motion, Davina (17 April 2020). "Davina Motion on why Sandwich Bay has always been a haven for those seeking isolation". Tatler. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  4. ^ Godfrey, Jennifer (19 December 2019). Suffragettes of Kent. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-5267-2352-9. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
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Category:Arts and Crafts architecture in England