Private members’ club proposed for Sark’s Seigneurie
Sark’s Seigneur is prepared to turn part of his home into a private members’ club ‘to rival the most exclusive clubs in London’ as part of the bid to purchase millions of pounds’ worth of real estate in the island.
‘If you want a quiet drink of an evening, I don’t think the island’s pubs are entirely everyone’s cup of tea,’ said the Seigneur Christopher Beaumont.
‘If you are looking for something more refined, then there is potential inside the Seigneurie to have a venue that ticks all the boxes of a top country club.’
The stately home, the official residence of the Seigneur, was built in 1565. Major changes over the centuries means it is effectively four houses and a tower fused into one building, with 17 separate flights of stairs.
Under the plans Mr Beaumont and his family would remain living in the building.
‘My wife is fully supportive, this is a biggish house and the two of us are rattling around in it and there are already separate apartments within the house,’ he said.
‘We will still be here and continue with the works we are making in the grounds.’
Mr Beaumont said he had signed a letter of intent with the Sark Property Company, of which he is a director, alongside entrepreneur Swen Lorenz and real estate expert Richard Johnson.
The letter of intent will be converted to a contract ‘if’ the company succeeds with acquiring the Barclay families’ property portfolio in Sark which makes up 20% of the island’s surface area, including more than 80 residential properties, five hotels, and 19 commercial properties.
Under the agreement, they would make part of La Seigneurie available to paying members as a space for ‘socialising, relaxing, working, private dining and more’.
There would be an initial long-term lease for 10-20 years and the possibility to create facilities for members, such as a pool, gym and wellness centre.
The company said the establishment of the club would be part of its wider plans to rejuvenate the island and provide opportunities for residents.
Mr Beaumont, who became the island’s 23rd seigneur in 2016, added that the promise of an exclusive club was not just an attempt to lure more investors into putting cash into the scheme.
‘You can buy shares in Rolls-Royce without ever entering the factory,’ he said. ‘This is for participants who might also want to be residents and has the bonus of being somewhere immediately ready with a few tweaks for them to go. The contract has to go ahead for this to happen, but it means we can hit the ground running with a facility for those of a discerning taste.’
