Luxury flats costing up to £2.8m go up for sale at ex-public school where Harry Potter movies were filmed: The Italian-inspired mansion

 

 

 

 

Luxury flats costing up to £2.8m go up for sale at ex-public school where Harry Potter movies were filmed The Victorian Gothic buildings of Royal Connaught Park have been the location for 397 films and television shows Its 1,400 square foot dinning hall was used as Hogwarts' Great Hall in the first three films in the Harry Potter series Campus also used in St Trinians, Starter for Ten, Hot Fuzz , Children of Men, Eastenders, Spooks and Silent Witness First 28 homes in the development now on sale, with prices ranging from £649,000 to £2.8 million   If you're a Harry Potter fan and dream of calling Hogwarts home, then this development could be just what you've been looking for. Royal Connaught Park's 1,400 sq ft dinning hall was used as the Great Hall at Hogwarts in the first three films and its tower became Dumbledore's office in The Order of the Phoenix. Now, the ex-public school's Victorian Gothic buildings have been converted into luxury flats, detached homes and townhouse. Buyers could even play at being the schoolboy wizard and his pals, as the 'Great Hall' has been largely unchanged, and will be available for their use. +9 Royal Connaught Park's 1,400sq ft dinning hall was used as the 'Great Hall' in the first three Harry Potter films. Pictured: The Great Hall in The Prisoner of Azkaban. The third film in the series +9 Potential buyers could play at being the boy wizard and his friends, as the 'Great Hall' will be available for their use. Pictured: The dinning room at Royal Connaught Park     The main entrance to the ex-public school was also used in the St Trinians films. The Victorian Gothic building has now been converted into luxury flats The tower used as Dumbledore's office in the fifth installment of the movies is also still there, but has been incorporated into one of the townhouses. Other areas were also used as a backdrop for areas of Hogwarts. In total the mansion in Bushey, Hertfordshire, has been a location for 397 films including St Trinian's, Starter for Ten, Hot Fuzz and Children of Men. On the small screen, it has appeared in Eastenders, Spooks, Midsomer Murders, Judge John Deed and Silent Witness.    The Grade II listed building was constructed in 1903 and was the Royal Masonic School for Boys until 1977. It then became the United States International University-Europe until 2007 but throughout this time the campus was used by Hollywood and British filmmakers, partly due to its proximity to Elstree and Pinewood Studios in north London. Restoration specialist Comer Homes bought the property in 1998 and continued running it as a university for nine years. The company started developing it as a top of the range residential complex in 2009 and is now in the final phase of the huge project, which will have 380 apartments and houses set in 100 acres of parkland. Now 28 apartments, detached homes and townhouses have been put up for sale with prices starting from £649,000 to £2.8million. +9 In total the mansion in Bushey, Hertfordshire, has been a location for 397 films including St Trinian's, Starter for Ten, Hot Fuzz and Children of Men +9 Now 28 apartments, detached homes and townhouses have been put up for sale with prices starting from £649,000 to £2.8million. Pictured:  One of the kicthens +9 As well as a gym and a pool, the exclusive community has 24-hour gated security, restaurants and a courtesy shuttle bus to Bushey station. Pictured: A bedroom in the development As well as a gym and a pool, the exclusive community has 24-hour gated security, restaurants and a courtesy shuttle bus to Bushey station. Caroline Comer of Comer Homes said: 'Royal Connaught Park has a really interesting history to it. 'It has been used as a location for 397 films and television shows dating back to the early 1920s. There's too many to name them all but everything from Monty Python's Life of Brian to Eastenders and Little Britain. 'They did quite a lot of filming for Harry Potter here. The dining hall was used in the first three films then I think they replicated it in the studios and also filmed at another location in Oxford. 'The old school block, which is now called Devonshire House, they used in Order of the Phoenix when the headmaster goes up a winding tower behind the phoenix. 'The bit of the building they used is still there but it forms part of one of the townhouses now. 'For filming it was fantastic, you could do anything with it and it was very convenient for crews because it's so close to Elstree Studio. 'It's a phenomenal place and really breathtaking when you arrive in front of the big clock tower, which was used in St Trinians. 'People just look open-mouthed when they walk through the gate, the character of the place resembles Oxford or Cambridge. 'We've tried to retain as much of that character as possible.The outside of the main building is the same and we've retained a lot of the internal features too - the original staircases, windows, some original flooring, fireplaces and exposed roof beams. Basically, as much as we can. 'And a key thing we've retained is the dining hall which can be booked by residents for functions. It's a beautiful hall and still serves a purpose. We've already had a couple of weddings and bar mitzvahs.' +9 'People just look open-mouthed when they walk through the gate,' said Caroline Comer of Comer Homes of Royal Connaught Park +9 On the small screen, it has appeared in Eastenders, Spooks, Midsomer Murders, Judge John Deed and Silent Witness. Pictured: It's chapel

This spot in Colorado's Vail Valley is so picturesque that a family stopped at nothing to build their home here - even if it meant shelling out $1 million just on the driveway. The Italian-inspired mansion, which has incredible 360-degree views across the mountains, has now gone on the market for a tidy $29.5 million. Homeowner Dick Rothkopf, a former toy company chief, chose the location for the estate in 2008 because his family enjoyed hiking in the nearby hills. But the property is so remote that it took two years, a team of engineers and $1 million to build the 1.5-mile driveway from the roadway to its front door, the Wall Street Journal reported. +20 Incredible: This Italian-inspired mansion in the mountains of Vail, Colorado has gone on sale for $29.5 million +20 Stunning: The home, which was built in 2008, is made from materials brought over from the homeowner's trips to Italy +20 Spacious: Inside the 13,000-square-foot home is a spacious gourmet kitchen, which is perfect for entertaining guests +20 Opulent: The entire property has eight bedrooms and eight full bathrooms over two buildings, as well as an outdoor barn +20 European: The luxurious home is known as 'Il Podere' - which means 'family homestead' in the Tuscan regionNo details were spared at the 17,000-square-foot estate itself, either. The home, which is known as 'Il Podere' - meaning 'family homestead' - was built on 230 acres of land using materials collected during the Rothkopfs' trips to Italy. It features a main residence with seven bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, three half bathrooms, an elevator and a gourmet kitchen across 13,000 square foot. There's also a billiard room, a gym, an indoor basketball court and a home theater. Outside is a pool with a spa and sauna, a pool house, a two-car garage and a tennis court, as well as a lake, a pond, a stream and stunning views. +20 Comfortable: A massive fireplace in a living room offers comfortable nights in for humans and pets alike +20 Hidden: Beneath arches and down walkways are recreation rooms for both children and adults +20 Airy: Large windows and terraces give terrific views across the Vail Valley in Colorado +20 Beautiful: As well as an office, the main home has seven bedrooms and seven full bathrooms +20 Fully equipped: A large gym can also be found at the home, as well as a spa and a sauna +20 Luxury: There is a movie theater inside the home, as well as a billiard room and an indoor basketball court +20 Serene: The home is 25 minutes from Vail's ski slopes and less than two hours from Aspen +20 Picturesque: The family who built the property chose this spot in Vail because they enjoyed hiking there There is also a 2,000-square-foot caretaker's house, with one bedroom and one-and-a-half bathrooms, while a separate barn also houses a loft and a bathroom. And if the home itself doesn't offer enough entertainment, it's just 25 minutes from Vail's ski slopes, an hour and 45 minutes from Aspen and two hours from Denver. The listing with Douglas Elliman calls the estate 'breathtakingly beautiful, tranquil, pristine'. The family is leaving to build a home in Sonoma, California but plans to buy a smaller place in Vail so they can still make use of its slopes.   +20 Large: As well as a separate building for a caretaker, the estate also has a barn with a loft and a bathroom +20 Determined: Its current owners were intent on living at the location so built a $1 million to the house +20 Vistas: A swimming pool and terrace area gives unobstructed views across the valley +20 Restful: There is also a spa and a sauna at the home, as well as a separate one-bedroom caretaker's house +20 Great outdoors: The estate, which also has a stream and pond, stretches across nearly 17,000 square foot +20 Secluded: The driveway, which is a mile and a half long, took a team of engineers and two years to build +20 Incline: The lengthy driveway also takes visitors up 700ft towards the sprawling estate

La Dolce Vita:Italy's golden era

 

 

 

 

 

Return of the ghost coast: Italian resort where rich and famous lived La Dolce Vita in the 1950s set for rebirth with lavish hotels and multi-million-pound villas Castiglioncello was the preferred summer escape for the stars of Italian cinema's golden era It fell out of favour in the 1980s and beyond but now appears to be in the midst of a resurgence  Lionard Luxury Real Estate has 16 multi-million properties on the market in the Tuscan seaside town Famous Italian actor Alberto Sordi's former residence Villa Corcos on the market for more than £7million There was a time when Castiglioncello was the playground of Italy's most beautiful people, a favourite seaside haven for those who marked the golden age of the country's cinema that brought films such as La Dolce Vita to the silver screen.    It was la dolce vita - the sweet life - that they came for as they sipped Tuscany's famous Chianti either in the confines of their lavish villas or in the town's famous nightclub la Ciucheba until it all unravelled in the 1980s. Stars of the era including La Dolce Vita star Marcello Mastroianni, along with Vittorio Gassman, Suso Cecchi D’Amico, Paolo Panelli e Bice Valori and many more called the town their temporary home while movies such as Il Sorpasso and Pellegrini d’Amore featuring a young Sofia Loren were filmed there.  Scroll down for video  +17 The sweet life could be yours for more than £7million at the former residence of famous Italian actor Alberto Sordi +17 The lavish interior, restored with class by the most recent owner, of Sordi's summer residence in the seaside town in Tuscany  +17 +17 Beautiful ocean view one bedroom (right) and the study that includes touches of the lives of Sordi and the original owner, Vittorio Corcos But as the town that once unseated Sorrento as a favourite summertime escape for the well heeled fell out of favour, the deluxe villas that had been popping up since rich baron Lazzaro Patrone bought up the coastal land in the late 1800s were often left with for sale signs hanging at the front and their stunning views without anyone to enjoy them.  But a relaunch is on, says Lionard Luxury Real Estate's Ian Heath, who recently sold one of the village's most iconic properties and is delighted to see it returned to its former glory as a hotel and has another, the former residence of one of Castiglioncello's most famous residents on the books. On the market with Lionard is the Villa Corcos, the summer haven for Alberto Sordi from 1962 to 1997. One of the most beautiful villas in Castiglioncello, it has breathtaking views from its 9,700 square foot main house and 6,500 square foot lodge terrace. The property listed for more than 10 million euros (£7m) is just one of 16 multi-million pound properties the agent has listed while Villa Pontello was also recently sold on behalf of Count Flavio Callisto Pontello, the builder and ex-president of Serie A football club Fiorentina. Built originally by the baron patron for the painter Vittorio Corcos, hence its name, Sordi bought the villa from the artist's daughter and used it as a place to retreat to rather than a home, like many of his contemporaries did with their coastal properties. +17 The property has breathtaking views from its 9,700 square foot main house and 6,500 square foot lodge terrace +17 +17 Sordi (right in 1961's The Best of Enemies) owned Villa Corcos from 1962 to 1997 and it's still one of the town's most beautiful villas The Italian entrepreneur who next bought the property restored the villa to its former glory and paid tribute to the past owners by including portraits of Sordi and Corcos in the reworked study.   The property is described by Lionard as 'a most iconic slice of that bygone era' and the purchaser has 'a chance to contribute to the rebirth of this once great holiday town.'  Castiglioncello, with just 3,000 inhabitants and very little scope to expand, is dubbed 'agreeably unpretentious' these days by Lonely Planet.    Seemingly untouched by mass tourism, its beaches are pristine while the Pasquini Castle, built in the late 1880s by Baron Patrone, is a reminder of its past glories and now used by the Municipality for cultural events including a traditional dance festival, and literary and photography competitions.   One of the more remarkable structures of the town and formerly owned by the wealthy Bulgari family, Villa Godilonda is being reinvigorated as a lavish hotel by an unnamed Russian businessman who bought it for £4.3m late last year. The property's main villa has 28 bedrooms, a winter garden and a spa with sauna, massage rooms and a Turkish bath, and is nestled in 11,000 square metres of park and Mediterranean scrub. It also has a private beach and space for a helipad. Beautiful drone footage captures villas in Castiglioncello   +17 Villa Godilonda is being reinvigorated as a lavish hotel by an unnamed Russian businessman who bought it for £4.3m late last year +17 Stars sipped Tuscany's famous Chianti either in the confines of their lavish villas or in the town's famous nightclub la Ciucheba until it all unravelled in the 1980s +17 Villa Godilonda is one of the more remarkable structures of the town and was famously owned by the wealthy Bulgari family +17 The property's main villa has 28 bedrooms while outside there is a private beach 11,000 square metres of park and Mediterranean scrub +17 Surrounded by greenery and water, the villa has a winter garden and a spa with sauna, massage rooms and even a Turkish bath +17 Castiglioncello nestles on a stunning stretch of Tuscany coastline Built at the end of the 19th century, Godilonda was owned by the American Carter family from 1924 and after World War Two became the Bulgari's summer residence. It became a hotel in the 1980s but closed in 2007. After years of dilapidation, the villa with the name that translates to 'enjoy the waves' - as given by writer Gabriele D’Annunzio after a romantic night there - is getting a rebirth as 'one of the most luxurious and beautiful hotels in the world'.  'After the degradation of the last years, the villa can finally live again, and contribute to the relaunching of one of Tuscany’s most beautiful seaside resorts,' says Lionard's Heath.  +17 An old postcard show Castiglioncello was a bustling haven for the rich and famous before the economic downturn in Italy during the 1980s +17 The pristine stretch of sand of Castiglioncello with multi-million pound villas towering over it in this beautiful retro shot +17 There was a time when Castiglioncello was the playground of Italy's most beautiful people +17 It was a favourite seaside haven for those who marked the golden age of the country's cinema that brought films such as La Dolce Vita to the silver screen

La Dolce Vita: Oozing timeless glamour, STUNNING photographs of Italy's golden era reveal why the country has been an A-lister favourite since the 1950s Nostalgic black and white shots reveal how holidaymakers of yesteryear flocked to Rome, Positano and Venice Candid day-to-day images showcase market stalls of Naples, priests reading outside the Vatican and a child barber Country provided cinematic canvas for La Fortuna di Essere Donna and legend Sophia Loren is pictured on set Unapologetically beautiful, even in nostalgic black and white shots it’s hard to disguise the A-lister appeal of Italy. Capturing the timeless charm of the Mediterranean gem, this series of candid images from the 1950s showcases a lively mix of day-to-day life including a man selling cherries at a market stall in Naples, a pair of priests reading L’Osservatore in Vatican city and a child barber shaving an elderly client. The traditions of yesteryear are preserved in these photographs of girls on the Venetian island of Buran learning the art of making lace, boys playing in a local band and villagers in Abruzzo celebrating the May Festival. The pictures also reveal that holidaymakers have long flocked to the country’s glamorous hotspots of Positano and Venice and that celebrities were attracted by a glittering calendar of car races and bicycle championships. During this golden era, Italy was inspiration for several Hollywood classics. The country provided the cinematic canvas for La Fortuna di Essere Donna at Ostia Antica and acting legend Sophia Loren is pictured on set. Take a step back in time with MailOnline Travel to appreciate Italy’s enduring star quality.  +31 Roman holiday: An Italian labourer watches an American tourist walking her poodle down the Spanish Steps in Rome circa 1955 +31 City of romance: A gondolier navigates his way through Venice, in front of St Mark's square circa 1950 +31 Mediterranean heat: A tour boat leaves harbour for the 'Blue Grotto' on the isle of Capri circa 1955 +31 Spring showers: A schoolboy walks through the rain in Saint Mark's Square, Venice, surrounded by Saint Mark's Cathedral and the Doges' Palace, circa 1958 +31 Fruits of labour: A man sells cherries from a market stall in Naples while punters watch on, circa 1952 +31 Vacation hot spot: Holidaymakers enjoy the sunshine and a swim on the beach at Positano, Italy, circa 1949 +31 Two women hailing a Vespa Taxi-Scooter, a new type of taxi built for two passengers, in Milan circa 1952 +31 Fast cars: Italian driver Alberto Ascari steers his Lancia at the finish line of the 1000 Miles race in Rome in 1954 +31 The Reschen Lake in southern Tyrol, Italy which covers the sunken village of Graun. Only the church steeple still shows above the water of the lake, which was the site of the Italian Sailing Championship in 1953   The bustle of tourists, pigeons, and public servants in Venice (left) and two musicians play instruments in Calabria, southern Italy (right) +31 Morning review: A pair of priests read 'L'Osservatore' outside St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City circa 1955 +31 Reflecting the rhythm of the city: A stall holder sells live crabs at a market in an Italian fishing town, circa 1950 +31 British violonist Yehudi Menuhin (left) and his wife Diana eating spaghetti before a concert the Maestro gave at the Venice theatre   Two sides of Italian life: A gondolier plies his trade (left) and Italian actress Giovanna Ralli sits on a stone step (right), before starring film 'Si' at Cinecitta in Rome both pictures circa 1955 +31 Italian film actress Sophia Loren on location at Ostia Antica for the filming of 'La Fortuna di Essere Donna' with the French actor Charles Boyer circa 1955 +31 Cinematic canvas: Sophia Loren on location for the filming of 'La Fortuna di Essere Donna in 1955   Young Italian men having lunch in a cafe in Rome and reading the communist paper 'Unita' and the socialist 'Avanti' (left). Three priests looking up at the architecture of a square during a visit to the Vatican City (right) +31 Spring festivities: Italians celebrate a May Festival in the village of Bucchianico, near Chieti in Abruzzo in May 1957     A cheeky young boy from Calabria, southern Italy (left) and the son of a fisherman looks after his two sisters whilst his parents work in the seas off Calabria, southern Italy (right) circa 1950 +31 Timeless tradition: A young barber learns the tricks of the trade while at work on an elderly client in Italy     Girls on the Venetian island of Burano learning the art of making lace in 1954 (left) and a group of unemployed men playing cards on a street corner in Sicily in 1955   A small boy plays with the pigeons in the Piazza del Unita, Trieste in 1950 (left) and one of 500 Catholic nuns in Rome at a conference to discuss the modernisation of Italy's convents in 1955 +31 Glittering events: Italy's Fausto Coppi finishing the seventeenth lap of the bicycle race across Italy, on June 5, 1952. +31 Party time: Italians celebrate a May Festival in the village of Bucchianico, near Chieti in Abruzzo in 1957 +31 Time for enduring traditions: A group of boys playing in a village ban in 1950