Fit for a royal couple in exile – no, not Meghan and Harry – the Caribbean home of the Duke of Windsor and his wife Wallis Simpson is on sale for US$8.5 million
Following his 1936 abdication from the throne as Britain’s king, Edward VIII and his wife the divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson went into exile in the Bahamas to dodge accusations of being a Nazi sympathiser, before being appointed governor of the colony
For a relatively small island, the Bahamas is one of the global glitterati’s favourite Caribbean playgrounds. Famed as home to holiday getaways of tech mogul Bill Gates, actor Sean Connery and pro golfer Tiger Woods, the tradition of elite escapism started decades ago, arguably with the arrival of the then-scandalous Duke of Windsor and his wife Wallis Simpson in 1940. The grand estate they lived in briefly is now for sale.
Perched atop the crest of Prospect Ridge on New Providence and overlooking the crystalline waters of Goodman’s Bay and white sands of Cable Beach is Sigrist House. Dating to 1937, the home was built by the British aviation magnate who co-developed the Spitfire and part-time film producer Frederick Sigrist – the United Kingdom’s very own Howard Hughes – and designed by American architect Carlos Schoeppl.
Following his 1936 abdication from the throne as King Edward VIII, famously brought on by his insistence on marrying the divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson and also to dodge accusations of being a Nazi sympathiser, Edward was appointed governor of the colony in 1940.
The couple lived at Sigrist House until the governor’s mansion in the capital Nassau was renovated. Recognised for its place in the duke and duchess’ story, the house was also home to Princess Fredericka Ann Guirey – Sigrist’s daughter and a tabloid favourite in 60s London.
“It’s an amazing property – the drive in through the gates up the road to the house is quite something. You feel like you’re in some type of royal estate because it’s so well taken care of and the grounds are beautiful,” says Mark Hussey of Damianos Sotheby’s International Realty. “The entrance to the house is old-world charming, with ladies’ and men's’ cloakrooms as you step in. It’s a grand property, and for an agent it’s a trophy property to list and represent.”
Schoeppl, born in Texas, educated at UCLA, London’s Royal Academy and Paris’ Beaux Arts Academy, is known for his fondness for classical revival and early art deco work, chiefly in Miami. He was the architect on Wolfson Estate, once owned by pop star Ricky Martin.
Schoeppl’s work is identifiable by a handful of recurring features that incorporate other architectures as well as singular contemporary spatial concepts that hold up to this day.
Hallways often seem to float between rooms rather than link them together in conventional ways, and there is a great deal of attention placed on interior-exterior dynamics. He was fond of statement features; columns, colonettes and arches, transoms, reliefs and sculptural inlays, open beam- and ironwork, and a welcoming fountain accessory. It is believed Sigrist House is the only private home Schoeppl designed in the Bahamas and just the second building overall, in addition to Nassau’s Princess Margaret Hospital.
