After almost 20 years at the Victorian manor house, Sotheby’s ceased regular West Sussex sales in 2002, ultimately selling much of the 33-acre site to Berkeley Homes.
A planning application made in 2004 was denied but a modified proposal was recently accepted. The house will become 11 luxury flats while the grounds will house a further 21 courtyard dwellings, a garage block and a two-storey office building. New access routes will also be built.
Sotheby’s, who retain a regional valuation office at Summers Place, are expected to continue sales of Garden, Architectural and Fossil Decoration held in the Summers Place gardens twice a year (the next on May 22).
However, their press office were reluctant to comment upon the future of the events other than to say the statuary sales are under the umbrella of the Olympia operation and hence subject to the same departmental consultation process initiated when the closure of the West London saleroom was announced.
The ATG understands the consultation period, that will decide which Olympia departments will survive still has a few weeks to run.
Summers Place to become luxury flats
Building work is expected to begin soon at Summers Place, Billingshurst after planning permission was granted to convert the former Sotheby’s saleroom into residential dwellings and office space.
