Luxury living: Homes linked with celebrity icons

From Brigitte Bardot to Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Cannes to the Bahamas, 5 dreamy estates that ooze glamorous provenance — all from Christie’s International Real Estate

High Point EstateMiddletown, New JerseyPrice upon request

High Point Estate is the home of rock icon and New Jersey philanthropist Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea. The chateau-style residence is named for its majestic setting on the Navesink River in Middletown, New Jersey, an hour from Manhattan. The magnificent main house, which covers 18,000 square feet, was designed by Robert A.M. Stern in 1999. The estate’s 15-acre grounds were originally laid by the landscape architecture firm Olmsted Brothers, sons of the Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted. The private acreage includes 700 feet of river frontage with a dock.

Charming Lyford Cay beachfront homeNew Providence, BahamasUS$12,500,000

Four generations of a single family have owned this enchanting estate, Casuarina Beach, in Lyford Cay on New Providence in the Bahamas. Tucked away on a powder-sand beach, the property is within walking distance of the exclusive Lyford Cay Club. Diana, Princess of Wales, holidayed at Casuarina Beach, which is a testament to the extraordinary security and privacy of the location, with 180 feet of private beachfront. Designed by mid-century modern architect Robertson ‘Happy’ Ward in the 1960s, the elegant 4,492-square-foot home was updated by Bahamian architect Henry Melich in 2009. 

Chesil CourtChelsea, LondonGuide £875,000

Chesil Court in London’s Chelsea is an iconic Modernist block built circa 1938 in the Art Deco style. On the building’s first floor is a beautifully renovated one-bedroom apartment that was once home to English actor Harry Fowler—the newspaper boy who became a national treasure. Fowler’s notable film and television appearances over his 60-year career include the ITV comedy series The Army Game, as well as Dixon of Dock Green, Z-cars, and film classics such as Lawrence of Arabia. The residence’s original 1930s details, including the iron bath and marble surround, radiators, and fireplace, blend with 21st-century updates, such as the eccentric Parisian wallpaper in the bedroom and the silk, leopard-print carpet which runs throughout. The property benefits from a south-facing balcony with views over the communal gardens.

Red Gate Farm — The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Martha’s Vineyard estateAquinnah, MassachusettsUS$65,000,000

The Martha’s Vineyard estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Red Gate Farm (pictured top) is a serene and private 340-acre sanctuary at the edge of Squibnocket Pond, complete with over a mile of Atlantic Ocean beachfront. Mrs. Onassis purchased Red Gate Farm in 1979 as a refuge from the celebrity of being ‘Jackie O’. Her daughter, Caroline Kennedy, has continued the legacy of Red Gate Farm, and commissioned Deborah Berke, dean of the Yale School of Architecture, to renovate and expand the Cape Cod-style main house (originally designed, along with the guest house, by renowned architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen). The estate also includes an outdoor pool, tennis court, two ponds, and ancillary structures, including the treehouse Mrs. Onassis built for her grandchildren.

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Minor CayNew Providence, BahamasUS$5,500,000

Minor Cay, a dream villa facing the 12th fairway of the legendary Lyford Cay Club, is the creation of H.J. Jack Heinz II, scion of the Heinz food empire, and his wife, Drue Heinz, the British-born arts patron and philanthropist. The Heinzes’ glittering roster of guests included Jackie Kennedy Onassis and her sister, Lee Bouvier Radziwill. In the 1980s, Minor Cay was sold to American sculptor John Safer. The elegant 5,740-square-foot, three-story residence was completely refurbished in 2017, with interior design by Amanda Lindroth. The ground floor is surrounded on three sides by a swimming pool, while wraparound verandas and patios offer wonderful views of the sea.

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