History of Updown Court
The original Updown Court was built in 1924 and was acquired by Egyptian Prince Sami Gayed in 1977, however it was severely damaged by a fire, as a result of a ruptured gas main during the Great Storm of 1987.
A developer, Leslie Allen-Vercoe of Surrey based Rhymer Investments Limited purchased the burnt-out shell of the property, for the approximate 2009 equivalent of £20 million (38.4 million USD) in early 2001/02, through receivership. Allen-Vercoe invested a further £38.5 million (60 million USD), of which £10 million was his own money, to re-build and re-design the property as it stands today. The new development was designed by John B. Scholz Inc, an Arizona architect company specializing in custom luxur home designs and luxury house plans. Construction began in 2002 and the building was completed in 2006/07, therefore taking around five years in total. As a homage to 'bling', the house is a departure from more refined English and European styles of architecture and includes a double staircase that is allegedly modeled on the one that fashion designer Gianni Versace had in his mansion in Miami, Florida. Updown Court has been described as "a house of horrors” and one Daily Telegraph journalist wrote: "I’d been expecting to find it tacky, over-the-top and full of bling. I hadn’t expected to find a cross between an abandoned Dubai hotel and a cruise ship".
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