Alan Whicker's Jersey home goes on sale for £4.95 million
Alan Whicker's luxury hilltop home in Jersey has gone on sale for £4.95 million.
The four-bedroom home, called Mont d'Olivet, was described by the TV presenter and journalist as "my island paradise".
Whicker died last July at the age of 91. He bought the property in 1972 with his long-term partner, Valerie Kleeman.
Ms Kleeman told the Daily Mail: "He had always been desperate to live near water.
"One of his first childhood memories was of a holiday to Ullswater and he had taken a boat out at dawn. He was around seven or eight-years-old and had been totally enchanted with it.
"He loved this house, he loved this garden and felt very peaceful here. He loved to travel but this was where he loved to come home to."
Alan's travel documentary series, Whicker's World, ran for more than 30 years and saw him jet off to every corner of the globe.
According to The Sunday Times, Alan's travels were so varied, he was "at Anzio to film the Allied landings and saw Mussolini hanging in Milan's Piazzale Loreto; he reported from the Korean War and interviewed "Papa Doc" Duvalier in Haiti. He met everyone from the Sultan of Brunei to brothel workers in Perth, Australia".
But the Channel Islands house was his sanctuary, set in three acres of woodland and set at the top of a winding driveway.
The house boasts three reception rooms, amazing views over to the Cherbourg peninsula, beautiful gardens, and a tear-shaped heated outside pool.
The Savills website description reads: "Perched on a hill and framed by pines, the house offers complete privacy whilst being only minutes from St Helier. Approached by a long winding drive, it is a hidden paradise surrounded by woods and terraced gardens - it is extremely unusual to find a property that offers such seclusion in Jersey."
And, it adds, Alan himself spoke lovingly of his home, saying: "Here one feels close to the seasons, each natural phase becomes a personal event and the daily sight of a wide expanse of water as it changes from turbulent to turquoise brings balance and serenity, balm to the soul."
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