Latest news with #MermaidCottage
The Sun
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I bought Ian Fleming's incredible UK beach home for under £1million – now I'm selling up because it's ‘too small'
A JAMES Bond superfan who snapped up Ian Fleming's former seaside home for less than £1million is putting it back on the market – because he says it's no longer big enough for his family. Mermaid Cottage, the striking 1920s Art Deco house in St Margaret's Bay, Kent, was once owned by both Bond creator Ian Fleming and legendary playwright Noel Coward. 7 7 7 It's now up for sale with a guide price of £1.75million. Fleming is believed to have written part of Moonraker at the property between 1951 and 1957, taking inspiration from the surrounding cliffs and coastline for the novel's dramatic setting. Its villain, Hugo Drax, constructs his deadly Moonraker rocket just outside Dover, near Deal. Coward had owned the house previously and renamed it 'White Cliffs' after restoring it following wartime damage by British and Canadian troops preparing for D-Day. He spent around £2,000 reinforcing the chalk cliffs and reportedly found his love of painting during his years there, according to Dover Museum. The house passed to Fleming in 1951, becoming his weekend and holiday escape. It remained in private hands until 2008, when current owner Mark Sawyer spotted it during a visit to Kent with his then-partner. The 56-year-old, who works in private equity, first glimpsed the village while swimming the Channel in a team relay: 'I distinctly remember the captain of the boat saying, 'There's St Margarets, it's a really pretty village'. I saw it from the water for the first time.' Although the house wasn't officially on the market, the couple fell in love with it and persuaded the estate agent to take it off the books immediately with a £20,000 deposit. They bought it for £800,000 and have since spent around £1million on renovations, including buying land to extend the garden. 'I'm a massive Bond fan. For me that was the cherry on the cake,' Sawyer said. 'Most people say when we're down there: squint and you could be in the Mediterranean,' he added. 'In the winter, the bay is so much quieter. "You sit there with the log-burning stove roaring with a storm blowing outside. 7 "You're immersed in nature. "The only land you can see from our living room is France.' His partner Lara Jewitt, a Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist, helped design the garden, which echoes the style of Derek Jarman's Prospect Cottage. The couple bought land from the council in 2014 to create it, but soon ran out of space. 'We developed every square inch down there, and we just wanted a bit more room,' Sawyer said. 'I never thought I would sell it, to be honest with you. It has three bedrooms, and that is too small to have both of my children back, potentially in the future with their partners, and my family to stay.' Not everyone is pleased about the decision. 'My daughter is still not talking to me since I told her I am selling it,' he admitted. 'She'll get over it eventually.' Strutt & Parker, who are handling the sale, describe Mermaid Cottage as a 'breathtaking location' with a 'rich history of famous connections.' 7 7
Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘I swam past a small village in Kent and knew I had to move there'
Mark Sawyer first set eyes on the small Kent village which would become his home from the Channel. It was 2006 and he was swimming from England to France in a team relay with two others. 'I distinctly remember the captain of the boat saying, 'There's St Margarets, it's a really pretty village '. I saw it from the water for the first time.' The 56-year-old and his ex-partner had determined that their second home would be in the east of the country, as they eschewed Devon and Cornwall. Then, on a trip to Kent in 2008, they drove through the village. Sawyer says: 'We saw this house, at the end of the sea promenade, and just fell in love with it. There was no For Sale sign nor evidence it was on the market. It didn't even tick any of the boxes that we had set ourselves.' But it was love at first sight. The couple liked the property so much that Sawyer paid £20k to the estate agent to take it off the market immediately. They paid £800k for the three-bedroom house, Mermaid Cottage, and Sawyer says he has spent in the region of £1m renovating it – including buying extra land to cultivate a garden. Mermaid Cottage was built in 1929 in Art Deco style. Playwright Noel Coward bought it after the Second World War, and lived there for seven years. Guests at the house included actress Katharine Hepburn and Ian Fleming, the author of James Bond, who later took over custodianship of the house, and wrote it into his 1955 Bond thriller Moonraker. 'I'm a massive Bond fan. For me that was the cherry on the cake,' says semi-retired Sawyer, who works in private equity. 'Most people say when we're down there: squint and you could be in the Mediterranean,' he adds. 'In the winter, the bay is so much quieter. You sit there with the log-burning stove roaring with a storm blowing outside. You're immersed in nature. The only land you can see from our living room is France. 'It gets into your soul a bit. You feel that you are in the middle of nowhere – but you're not.' His partner, Lara Jewitt, is a former Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist, and the garden emulates Derek Jarman's Prospect Cottage. In 2014, the couple bought land from the council to develop a garden, something which became a lockdown project. But they still wanted more garden space. 'We developed every square inch down there, and we just wanted a bit more room.' Sawyer says: 'I never thought I would sell it, to be honest with you. It has three bedrooms, and that is too small to have both of my children back, potentially in the future with their partners, and my family to stay.' The decision to sell has not been popular with every member of his family. 'My daughter is still not talking to me since I told her I am selling it. She'll get over it eventually.' The cottage is listed for sale with a guide price of £1.75m.
