Jane Fonda's New Mexico ranch and The Mansion near Bray in Berkshire

 

 

 

Jane Fonda's New Mexico ranch and The Mansion near Bray in Berkshire

Jane Fonda's New Mexico ranch hits the market at a JAW-DROPPING $19.5 million... and with over 300,000 acres Fonda has owned the ranch for 14 years, but due to a busy schedule has decided to part with it The Pecos River runs through the property, giving the property the feel of an oasis in the middle of the desert Fonda: 'Forked Lightning Ranch has been a sanctuary and a place of great joy and recreation for me and my family' +14 Jane Fonda, two-time Oscar winner, has put her Forked Lightning ranch on sale for $19.5 million, saying that she no longer has time to enjoy the property In the market to buy a ranch? This sprawling New Mexico desert oasis can be yours today... if you have $19.5 million to pony up. Forked Lightning Ranch, located in Santa Fe, has belonged Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda since 2000, when she purchased it to satisfy her demands for privacy and luxury. She has called the ranch 'an enchanted place.' The exquisite beauty of the home's interior is matched only by the jaw-dropping environment that surrounds it, with views of mountains, rivers, and canyons all nearby. Fonda, 76, says that she is selling the property because, due to her careful balance of life and work, she can no longer make enough time to enjoy the property. Fonda was last seen on screen in the HBO drama 'The Newsroom,' which stars Jeff Daniels and Emily Mortimer. She also released a book in March 2014, her third. 'Forked Lightning Ranch has been a sanctuary and a place of great joy and recreation for me and my family,' says Fonda. 'Many changes have occurred in my life since 2000 and I am no longer able to spend as much time on the Ranch as I once was. I feel the time has come to pass the Ranch on to a new custodian of this enchanted place.' The actress of such notable films as 'Nine To Five' with Dolly Parton and 'Fun With Dick and Jane' with George Segal  redeveloped the 9,585 square foot main home, known as River House. +14 An understated portion of the exterior of the home, the part of the ranch where the horses are kept +14 The ornate dining area, part of the nearly 10,000-square foot main house +14 A view of the ranch with the seemingly endless land surrounding it, including the river that Fonda did work on to bisect +14 A bedroom i the ranch, which gives off a rustic vibe for the owner or visitors to enjoy +14 The wide-open kitchen, laid out simply but tastefully +14 An upstairs portion of the ranch, decked out in saddles and Native American-themed rugs The ranch also includes the Hacienda - a 2,125 square-foot guest home, a 3,409 square-foot Log House, a 12-stall Equestrian Facility as well as a gym. According to estate agents Swan Land Company, Fonda took 'great care' restoring a three-and-a-half mile stretch of a trout-rich Pecos River, one of the finest fisheries in New Mexico, that bisects the ranch. The estate is on the boundary to the north and east of 311,040 acres of the Pecos National Forest which is part of the 1,558,452 acre Santa Fe National Forest and is 25 miles from the main city. The Pecos River Valley served as a natural spot for those traveling between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southernmost extension of the Rockies, and the Great Plains. +14 A view of the majestic Pecos River, which flows through the property +14 Another view of the Pecos River, which shows the large size and clear waters of the river +14 Another view of the canyon surrounding the river, all part of the ranch's property +14 The ranch has a spectacular view of the Pecos River, as well as rock stairs leading down to the river for guests to enjoy The ranch even boasts of evidence of the wagon route that once passed through the boundaries of the property, where pioneering homesteaders and military traveled. Their tracks still mark the eastern property boundary of the Ranch. Mike Swan, owner and managing broker, said: 'We are honored to be the brokerage representing this significant piece of New Mexico's history.' 'This ranch is unparalleled in its offering of elegant living combined with carefully guarded wilderness, a fine trout fishery and proximity to Santa Fe, one of the country's most sophisticated, culturally-rich and oldest capital cities,' said Swan. Fonda won two Academy Award in the 1970s, the first for the murder mystery 'Klute', co-starring Donald Sutherland in 1971. She received her second Oscar in 1978 for 'Coming Home', a love-triangle drama co-starring Jon Voight. Fonda also enjoyed success in the 1980s with her series of workout tapes. Beginning in 1982 with 'Jane Fonda's Workout,' she produced 11 workout videotapes which sold very well. Her original tape became the highest-selling home video for years after its release. +14 Another view of the ornate interiors of the ranch, including the deer head mounted to the wall for an added 'outdoorsy' effect +14 A large hill looms over the property, the main house somewhat resembling a log cabin +14 Open fields for any animal (horses, dogs, etc.) to run completely free and wild

As bow ties are plumped and hair is coiffed for this evening’s First Night of the Proms, an orchestra will be preparing to play Elgar’s biblical oratorio The Kingdom. But that isn’t the only curtain raiser, for today the home where Edward Elgar composed some of his finest pieces goes on the market for £2.25 million. The 18th century four-bedroom house just outside of Bray in Berkshire saw Elgar labour over the oratorio and part of his Cello Concerto. +8 Stunning: The Mansion near Bray in Berkshire, which saw Elgar compose some of his finest pieces, is on sale for £2.25 million +8 Riverside: The Berkshire mansion's gardens are set beside the River Thames +8 Historic: the swimming pool was formerly the music room where English composer Elgar wrote his Cello Concerto and The Kingdom +8 A historic blue plaque marks the gated entrance to the Berkshire mansion where Elgar composed music. The home belonged to his close friend Frank Schuster, a patron of the arts A historic blue plaque by the gated entrance marks his time in the mansion, stating that ‘he often stayed and composed in this house’. The present resident is Pauline Turner, a humanist celebrant who has been there for five years. Earlier, the home was owned by Miss Van de Weyer, a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria who regularly stopped by for afternoon tea. The sale of the home will likely cause a sit among Elgar fans, who have visited the mansion over the years to see where he worked. EDWARD ELGAR Sir Edward William Elgar was an an English composer who achieved international fame in the classical music arena. His best known compositions include the Enigma Variations and the Pomp and Circumstance Marches concertos for violin and cello. Born on June 2 , 1857, Elgar was  the son of a music shopkeeper and piano tuner in provincial Worcester, and brought up as a Catholic. He received practical training as a performer on the violin and other instruments, and taught himself composition. In Protestant Britain, his Roman Catholicism was regarded with suspicion and he became an outsider. He did however attain national prominence in 1899 when his ‘Enigma’ Variations premiered in London. His next major work, the oratorio The Dream of Gerontius, quickly became successful in Britain and Germany. A decade followed which saw the composition of two further oratorios, The Apostles and The Kingdom and a stream of orchestral works culminating in the First Symphony and the Violin Concerto. When his wife died, Elgar, who had been living in London, moved back to the West Midlands. He was working with renewed energy on an opera and a Third Symphony when he died in 1934. There was the time when a crew of Norwegian sailors arrived, out of the blue and via the river Thames, dressed in naval costumes. They sang Rule, Britannia! and staged a trumpet call outside what was the music room , then toasted the moment with shots of schnapps. As they left the house via the Thames on their rowing barge they raised their oars in salute as they sailed past. Elgar would sit in the music room, which is now the swimming pool, and compose music that he would perform in front of an audience that included Gabriel Faure, George Bernard Shaw, Dame Nellie Melba, Siegfried Sassoon and Arnold Benett. +8 Al fresco: A patio overlooks the manicured lawn belonging to the Berkshire mansion which Savills put up for sale today +8 Original: The leaded windows are some of the original features which still remain in the 18th century mansion +8 Roomy: The mansion is known for its high ceilings and open spaces +8 Open plan: While a new kitchen has been fitted since Elgar's days, the house clearly retains some of the 18th century features such as the leaded windows in the background The property, called Long White Cloud, which was owned by Eldgar’s close friend Frank Schuster, was a regular haunt of the legendary composer in the early 20th century. In 1906 he came up with The Kingdom and, four years later, worked on his Violin Concerto. The house was named Long White Cloud, which is the Maori name for New Zealand, by a more recent resident, Stirling Moss. Mr Moss, 84, is a former Formula One racing driver from England. STIRLING MOSS Stirling Moss, 84, is a former Formula One driver who raced for England. He was a top racer but never quite managed to get it over the line, becoming known as 'the greatest driver to never win the World Championship' by sports commentators. Moss was raised in Long White Cloud by his father Alfred, who was a dentist, and his mother Aileen. His sister Pat was also gifted behind the wheel and she became a successful rally driver. Moss, who raced from 1948 to 1962, won 212 of the 529 races he entered, including 16 Formula One Grand Prix. He would compete in as many as 62 races in a single year and drove 84 different makes of car over the course of his racing career, including Cooper 500, ERA, Lotus, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Aston Martin, Maserati, Ferrari and Jaguar. He remained the English driver with the most Formula One victories until 1991 when Nigel Mansell overtook him after competing in more races. He now lives in West Kensington, London. It was his family home and he drove his first racing car around the track in the grounds of the property as a boy. The Mosses owned the home until 1959 and in 1963 the estate was sold and split up into two homes. Spread across 4,840 sq ft, it has five bedrooms, four reception rooms, an indoor swimming pool and a 32ft drawing room. It still contains many of the original features including leaded light windows and ornate fireplaces. Fiona Copeman, an associate director at Savills estate agents, said: ‘Long White Cloud is a historic home set within idyllic riverside gardens. ‘We've had quite a lot of interest in the property and already had six viewings. It is a lovely family home and is in Bray, which didn't flood last year.’