A Grade-II listed mansion is this year’s most expensive country home after being put on the market for £28million by its bankrupt property tycoon owner.
Kevin Cash created an empire reputedly extending from Mayfair to Miami and was one of the most influential figures in the London property market.
But he has now put his beloved North Aston Hall, near Bicester in Oxfordshire, on the market after being declared insolvent by a court last Friday.
Lavish: Grade II-listed North Aston Hall near Bicester in Oxfordshire, where Kevin Cash lived with his fourth wife Carla and their two children James and Grace
The mansion has an orangery, a roof terrace with conservatory, an 18th-century wine cellar and 11 bedrooms, including a 2,500 sq ft master suite
The Birmingham-born businessman amassed an estimated £500million fortune after becoming a millionaire in his 20s.
He acquired an exquisite Oxfordshire estate, as well as a £10million house overlooking London’s Regent’s Park.
The 54-year-old was declared bankrupt at Oxford County Court — the latest reversal since he was found liable for fraudulent misrepresentation in a High Court action in February.
Cash lived in lavish style at the Oxford mansion with his fourth wife Carla and their two children.
Reached by a mile-long drive, the Jacobethan-style mansion is set in 194 acres, which include landscaped gardens and a riverside treehouse.
It also boasts a luxurious leisure complex comprising a swimming pool, tennis court and billiards room.
The sprawling estate in Oxfordshire is part of Cash’s extensive property empire reputedly extending from Mayfair to Miami
Cash, who made his millions in his 20s and started his career in the frozen food industry. He was reportedly declared bankrupt as a teenager but recovered the blow and went on to build his property empire
The mansion itself is equally sumptuous, with an orangery, a roof terrace with conservatory, an 18th-century wine cellar and 11 bedrooms, including a 2,500 sq ft master suite.
Intriguingly, the property is owned by the Rose Trust, established by Cash’s parents, Barry and Sheila.
It is not, therefore, one of Cash’s personal assets — unlike his Regent’s Park house, which, as I disclosed last month, has been ripped from his grasp by receivers.
The decision to place North Aston Hall on the market has evidently caused much anguish for Carla, who was once voted ‘sexiest woman in South Africa’ by lads’ mag FHM.
Days before her husband’s bankruptcy, she sent a message to businessman Darius Khakshouri, to whom she was once close, saying: ‘We have nothing left.’
One of the 11 bedrooms at the sprawling estate. A tribunal in 2011 heard Cash thought nothing of spending £50,000 a month on groceries at North Aston Hall
Cavenous: A bathroom at the luxurious property has a chandelier and enormous mirror covering one of the walls
The mansion has its own stunning leisure complex comprising a swimming pool (pictured), tennis court and billiards room
In 2011, in a case brought by his butler and housekeeper who unsuccessfully claimed to have been unfairly dismissed, a tribunal heard Cash thought nothing of spending £50,000 a month on groceries at North Aston Hall.
Cash reportedly went bankrupt as a teenager but survived the blow and went on to make his millions, beginning his career selling frozen foods, according to BirminghamLive.
His money-making escalated during the 1990s when he began buying up prime London properties and investing in internet firms.
He set up the Bluestar property group which buys and sells London residences, and he manages property portfolios for some of the UK’s richest celebrities and businessmen.
Cash with his fourth wife Carla, who was once voted ‘sexiest woman in South Africa’ by lads’ mag FHM
His companies manage property which includes exclusive homes in Mayfair, Miami and Marbella.
The aptly-named tycoon is the eldest son of company director Barry Cash and his teacher wife, Sheila, and is a former pupil of Kings Norton Boys School.
His second wife Jackie St Clair was a model and close friend of Simon Cowell. He is now married to South African model Carla Le Reservee.
They married in South Africa early in 2011 and have two children, James and Grace. Cash also has a son, Sam, from his first marriage to Moroccan graduate of Montreal University Nabila Benbrahim.
A close friend of Cash was property developer Scot Young, who plunged to his death from the balcony of his lavish apartment in Montagu Square, Marylebone, three years ago.