THE LAVISH country estate of the late publisher, poet and eco-warrior Felix Dennis has been put up for sale – for the equally lavish sum of £9,470,000.
Maverick Mr Dennis died at the age of 67 at his Dorsington home in June last year after a lengthy battle with throat cancer.
He made his millions – an estimated £500million – in the publishing business and led a ‘colourful’ life which included making music with John Lennon, a stint in jail, drug addiction and a penchant for the ladies.
He claimed he spent $100million on drugs and ladies and was also responsible for the delay in live television after using a very naughty word live on the David Frost show.
But he opted for the quieter life in the later years penning poetry, much of it at the Dorsington estate he created with no expense spared.
The estate can be bought in is entirety for near £10million, or in separate lots to include his thatched cottage home and the many and varied houses and buildings dotted around the estate.
The most striking of the lots on offer is the leisure complex – a snip at just £2,450,000. Inspired by Mr Dennis’ life-long love for Treasure Island, the farmyard-style barn building includes a pirate-themed playland within with a swimming pool based on a ship’s hull.
The barn (pictured) comes complete with palm trees, a crow’s nest, a fish tank, a shipwrecked boat and rigging.
As well as the playground-style barn, the north wing has a similar nautically themed bedroom as well as a solarium, sauna and steam room.
The south wing includes the kitchen and banqueting hall and below ground there is an authentic Art Deco inspired cinema with a bar and entertainment area.
The 12,000 sq ft complex also has an Apline-style balcony overlooking a giant chess board and comes with planning permission for residential use.
Much of the money from the sale of the estate – along with Mr Dennis’ personal fortune – will be used to maintain and build on his biggest passion of recent years – the Heart of England Forest.
Mr Dennis began planting trees in the late 1990s and cemented his passion for British forestry by setting up The Heart of England Forest Limited charity, dedicated to planting a substantial native broadleaf forest in Warwickshire.
Between his personal country estate and The Heart of England Forest, which spans from Stratford to Henley, over 1,874 acres of woodland have now been planted and planting proceeds at the rate of approximately 300 acres per year.
In the summer of 2013, the Forest hit a major mile-stone which was the millionth tree and by the end of the planting season in March 2014, another 100,000 were planted.
Mr Dennis is himself buried in the Natural Burial ground he created in the heart of his forest near Great Alne.
Visit: www.heartofenglandforest.com to find out more about the project and how you can donate to be a part of the forest dream.
Visit: www.felixdennis.com to read more about his life, his poetry and his works.
The estate is available in its entirity for £9,470,000.
The inimmitable Felix Dennis (s)
The luxury cinema.
