Savills instructed to sell the ‘most complicated house ever built’ for £30m

Savills has been instructed to sell what has been dubbed the “most complicated house ever built” on behalf of renowned British inventor Dr John C. Taylor.

Dr Taylor, most famous for inventing the thermostatic control switch that turns boiling kettles off, designed almost every aspect of the revolutionary elliptical property after agreeing to buy the derelict Isle of Man estate in 2005 following a chance meeting with the previous owner.

Taking seven years to perfect, Arragon Mooar House at the heart of the estate, includes a number of unconventional features, from chandeliers so technical that a new type of wire had to be manufactured to power them, to a three-dimensional atrium floor precision engineered into the shape of a dahlia.

A number of secret passages are threaded through the property, while the Ancaster stone cantilevered staircase is so unique it had to be ‘stress-tested’ by a supercomputer to pass inspection.

The estate was put on the market three years ago, but visitors were limited because of the Covid pandemic which led to the Island shutting its borders to protect its 90,000 population.

But with restrictions now lifted, the estate, which is the most expensive residential property for sale on the Island, is once again open for viewings.

Dr Taylor, 86, who has more than 400 patents to his name, said that with UK tax rates rising following the Autumn statement, the Isle of Man’s unique property tax regulations, high standard of living, and proximity to the mainland has made the 282-acre estate an even more attractive proposition.

He commented: “We have everything on the Isle of Man. It is a fantastic place to live, and in design terms, this is the most complicated house ever built. Modern architects build things in straight lines. The most difficult shape of all is an elliptical house, and if you can do something, you should.

“I never like to do what other people have done before. Everything I do has to mean something – it’s the process of creating that I enjoy.”

Named after the 5,000-year-old Neolithic quartz circle that sits on the estate, Arragon Mooar features 360-degree panoramic countryside and coastal views. The estate is situated in the south of the Island, close by the village of Ballasalla, 15 minutes from the present-day capital Douglas and 10 minutes from the Island’s private Jet Centre and international airport, Ronaldsway.

The house also includes a myriad of Dr Taylor’s inventions, including the three metre-tall Dragon Chronophage – a sister clock to the famous Corpus Chronophage in Cambridge – that shows the time without using hands, with the dragon opening its mouth and swallowing a pearl for every minute that passes.

Dr Taylor, who retired from his company Strix Ltd in 1999, will continue to live on the Isle of Man where personal tax rates are among the lowest in Europe. Residents suffer no inheritance tax, no stamp duty, no capital gains tax and there is a £200,000 tax cap arrangement available for high-net-worth individuals.

 

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One Comment

  1. kevin_leadingham@hotmail.com

    The house was designed by Julian Bicknell and the technical drawings drawn by kevin Leadingham

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