After 105 years of ownership by the Anglican Church, Sydney's Downtown Abbey, Bishopscourt, has finally found new owners for $18 million, Courier Mail reports.
For the past two years, the neo-gothic mansion in Darling point in the eastern suburbs has welcomed 110 potential buyers from all around the globe to inspect the 6216-square-meter estate.
"There has been great interest in Bishopscourt because there it is such a high profile property," said listing agent Craig Pontey of Ray White, Double Bay.
"A long with local interest there has been inquiries from Hong Kong, Singapore, China, London, Vanuatu and Germany," said Mr Pontey.
The mansion which has 15 bedrooms has been the official residence of Anglican Archbishops with the latest is Sydney's Archbishop Glenn Davies.
However, it was in 2012 that the Anglican synod voted for the sale of the Bishopscourt, pointing hefty bills needed for the upkeep of the heritage property as the main reason. According to the church, it would cost several million of dollars to maintain the property.
It was not an easy home to sell given the heritage rules that come with the property as well as not having several prestige property must-haves like a swimming pool or harbor frontage, says Lucy Macken's report for Domain.
"Several million dollars would be required in the near future for renovations and as the agreed price is at the upper end of valuations, the Trust acted prudently to conclude a sale," said the chairman of the Anglican Property Trust, Dr Robert Tong.
Due to confidentiality agreements, the buyer's identity has been kept unknown; however, they have shared their plain of restoring the property into a private home.
"It is a very unique property but it isn't the sort of place that a rock star would want to live in," a spokesman for the Anglican Church, Russell Powell, told Domain recently.
