A rare, 46-foot warplane acting as a “garden gnome” outside a $5 million English estate comes free with the purchase of the sprawling property.
The decommissioned Harrier II jet – one of only eight left – comes as a package deal that comes with Durford Edge, an 8,000 sq ft six-bedroom Arts and Crafts house near Petersfield, England that recently hit the market for £3.95 million (about $5 million).
Peter Robinson, 56, described his beloved plane to The Times UK as a “garden gnome” that has sat outside in his garden since he bought it in 2015.
“I thought, you know. Your average Joe, he likes a Harrier jump jet, he has a windowsill — he buys an eight-inch Harrier model and he puts it on his windowsill,” Robinson said.
“I think, in many ways, this is no different. I was lucky enough to have a very large window sill.”
House hunters have been surprised by a $5 million mansion for sale with a very unique feature – an entire jetty in the back garden. Savills
The huge jet is just one attraction on the 10-acre site, which features a landscaped garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll alongside a house built by architect Inigo Triggs.
Despite his lifelong obsession with the jet, which measures up to 46 feet by 29 feet, Robinson said he hopes to downsize soon when his two sons are grown.
Robinson, a mathematician who achieved professional success by “solving problems” for the Ministry of Defence, recalls the difficulty of getting the large jet located on the property.
The six-bedroom mansion in Petersfield, Hampshire, hit the market last Friday. Savills
“It came with two articulated trucks – it was much bigger than I imagined. The fuselage went in with one truck, and when it came around the corner and turned into a farm, I suddenly thought I was going to buy a Concorde because it looked so big. I thought: ‘My God, what have I done?’”
The problem only got worse when a plane panel fell off the truck, unbeknownst to Robinson and the driver, and ended up stopping traffic for two hours in both directions.
“Everyone [looking at the debris on the motorway] thought it was the door of the plane, but they didn’t know where it came from,” he said.
“I spoke to the people we bought the plane from, and they said: ‘Whatever you do, don’t say anything [to the police].’ But a few weeks later I called them and at the time they found it quite funny — so they let me have it. I kept it as a spare, as we had already found a replacement from elsewhere.”
Apart from jets, the property also has a beautiful lake. The Savills Jet is located next to the park. Savills
With plans to move to a smaller venue, Robinson said getting the jet past the wrought iron fence and wall in front of the driveway was nearly impossible.
Instead of trying to move the big plane again, Robinson said he included a Harrier II jet with the property — not asking the buyer to pay a penny more than the asking price for both the house and the piece of history.
While the massive jet that takes up most of the backyard might not be everyone’s cup of tea, Robinson noted that if the new owner is “offended” he’ll find a way to move it — either donating it to a museum or keeping it for his family.
“My oldest son 100 percent doesn’t want me to throw him away,” he added.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
