Supermodel Jodie Kidd’s mother has put her beloved estate on Barbados’ Platinum Coast up for sale.
Holders Estate, a luxury hotel and polo venue, has been owned by the Kidds for the past 50 years, and is where Jodie, her polo-playing brother Jack, and their designer sister Jemma all grew up.
Wendy, 76, a former model herself, ran the estate with Johnny, her husband of 32 years until their marriage ended in 2005 when he had an affair with Canadian-born Cindy Swenson, a stuntwoman nearly half his age.
Mrs Kidd turned the estate into a functioning guesthouse but, over the years, Holders has struggled to make itself pay.
With the island’s economy taking a dip, Mrs Kidd has been forced put the exquisite 17th century house on the market.
Jodie Kidd’s mother has put her beloved estate on Barbados’ Platinum Coast up for sale
After taking over Holders following the break down of her marriage Mrs Kidd turned the estate into a functioning guesthouse but, over the years, it has struggled to make itself pay
Holders, situated on the premium west coast of Barbados, has been put on the market
Holders, built on a former sugar plantation, is set amongst five acres of formal gardens and promises ‘an impressive range of amenities’ and ‘a sense of privacy unmatched by the more populous developments and resort communities’
The purchase price is only available on request, but is understood to be in the range of £6.4 million, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
Holders, situated on the premium west coast, was inherited by Mr Kidd, 72, from his mother.
It was a secret escape for the rich, royal and famous during the 1960s and 70s, visited by Princess Margaret and her second husband, Lord Snowdon, during their honeymoon in 1960 and where hellraiser actor Oliver Reed spent many vacations.
More recently it has welcomed performers such as Kylie Minogue and Pavarotti to their annual Holders Season, a mini Glyndebourne-meets-Glastonbury festival.
Beach babe: A young Jodie in Barbados with older sister Jemma, mother Wendy and father Johnny
In an interview with the Mail in 2010 Jodie said: ‘Every Easter we hold a sort of mini-Glyndebourne in the gardens of the house. It’s called the Holders Season and features performances of everything from opera to Shakespeare to mad and wacky musicians and dancers from all over the world.
‘We’ve had Kylie Minogue here as well as Pavarotti. It’s brilliant fun.’
It remained the Kidd holiday home, accessible only to invited guests until 2005, when Johnny and Wendy separated following his affair.
After the marriage broke down Holders was put on the market and taken off several times.
Mrs Kidd then took over the house and turned it into a business, running the estate as a guesthouse.
Over the years Holders has struggled financially; the concerts have run at a loss and around 300 acres had to be sold off, leaving just five remaining on the estate.
In an interview in 2015 Mrs Kidd said she was ‘just about keeping above water’ but was ‘very happy with life.’
But, with the estate being put on the market, it now appears her Bajan dream has died.
Holders, situated on the premium west coast, was inherited by Mr Kidd, 72, from his mother
Supermodel Jodie Kidd’s mother has been forced to sell off the 17th century Barbados estate
Supermodel Jodie Kidd with her mother Wendy (left) and her father Johnny (right)