A historic farmhouse where King Charles II and his mistress reportedly hid during the English Civil War has gone on sale for £1.85million.
La Ferme du Roi – meaning The King’s Farm – stands amid the peaceful country lanes of St Brelade, Jersey.
According to the property’s history, the future monarch and his unnamed lover were sheltered at the secluded farm during his exile.
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The Grade 3-listed property has early-17th-century origins and is said by estate agents to date from 1616, although one surviving gable stone bears the date 1666, as reported by Luxury Property News.
Charles’s time in Jersey during the Civil War is well documented.
Then Prince of Wales, he fled to the staunchly Royalist island in 1646 as Parliament’s forces gained the upper hand against his father, Charles I.
He stayed for around six weeks before continuing his exile in France.
After Charles I was executed, Jersey became the first place to proclaim his son king in February 1649.
Charles returned that September with an extraordinary entourage reportedly comprising around 300 people and more than 120 horses.
The penniless king-in-exile remained on Jersey for nearly five months, officially lodging at Elizabeth Castle but regularly travelling elsewhere around the island.
The property listing – which is being handled by Savills – does not identify the mistress or specify during which of Charles’s two stays the couple reportedly sought shelter there.
La Ferme du Roi’s royal name also reflects its historic association with the Crown.
A local parish guide records that the surrounding settlement was once a fief du Roi, an estate from which the King collected the full profits.
Today, the 3,685 sq ft property contains six bedrooms, five bathrooms and three reception rooms across a main house and detached guest cottage.
The principal residence has four bedrooms and a vaulted kitchen and dining room featuring exposed granite and original wooden beams.
A beamed living room includes a log-burning stove, while a home office has its own entrance.
There is also a gym and a large loft offering potential for another bedroom, studio or cinema room.
The renovated granite guest cottage has two en-suite bedrooms and a bright, open-plan living space upstairs.
Outside are a garage, traditional outhouse, garden store and seven Jersey vergées of land – equivalent to just over three acres.
Two fields are currently leased for growing Jersey Royal potatoes, with the income reportedly covering parish rates and maintenance.
The land could alternatively be used for horses or livestock, while the garden offers potential for stables, additional garaging or a swimming pool, subject to planning permission.
Geri O’Brien, of Savills, said: “This is a unique property with an abundance of potential.”
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