Luxury Living: Homes fit for a President

Lasata, or ‘Place of Peace’, was the childhood summer home of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the wife of President John F. Kennedy and former First Lady of the United States. Built by noted architect Arthur C. Jackson in 1917, the 7.15-acre estate was impeccably restored to the highest standards in 2007. The ten-bedroom main house enjoys total privacy amid exquisite grounds, ideally located near Atlantic Ocean beaches. It comes with a pool house, separate two-bedroom guest house and a garage building.

This private, 14-acre beachfront compound on Grape Bay is one of the most significant estates in the Caribbean. For more than 30 years Chelston served as the official Bermuda residence for the US government, where it hosted a who’s who of political figures. Past guests include former US President George H. W. Bush and former US Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Henry Kissinger, to name but a few. The estate has been fully updated and includes a 10,000-square-foot main house, four cottages, croquet lawn, a beach pavilion, pool and pool house.

This magnificent French estate is a stunning replica of Mount Vernon, the plantation home of the first US president, George Washington (located on the banks of the Potomac in Fairfax, Virginia). Situated between Paris and Versailles, House Vaucresson was originally built as the United States’ pavilion for the 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition. The house encompasses nearly 11,000 square feet of exceptional living spaces, which are complemented by more than 1.5 acres of serene landscaped grounds.

This stately townhouse at 28 Hyde Park Gate was the former home of Sir Winston Churchill and his wife, Baroness Spencer-Churchill, from 1945 until his death in 1965. Located within a short walk of Kensington Gardens on one of London’s most sought-after streets, the four-story mansion spans approximately 5,763 square feet with seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, formal reception rooms, and a rare 55-foot-long west-facing garden. Other highlights of this once-in-a-lifetime offering include a terrace, wine cellar and plant room.

This haven of tranquility on the west coast of Ireland was previously the estate of  former Irish president Mary Robinson. Idyllically situated amid 100 acres of gardens and grounds on the shores of Lough Conn, Massbrook House was designed in 1890 by Belfast architect Sir Thomas Drew. The grand Victorian main house spans 6,781 square feet with five bedrooms, reception rooms, a library and a billiards room. A gate lodge, numerous outbuildings, pastures and almost a mile of lake frontage add to the splendour.