Natirar
Encyclopedia
Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey
Peapack and Gladstone is a borough in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,582...
, Far Hills
Far Hills, New Jersey
Far Hills is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 919.Far Hills was incorporated as a borough based on an Act of the New Jersey Legislature passed on April 7, 1921, from portions of Bernards Township, subject to the results...
and Bedminster, New Jersey. Its name is a reverse spelling of Raritan. In 2003 it was sold by the estate of His Majesty, Hassan II, late King of Morocco, to Somerset County, New Jersey, and is now administered by the Somerset County Park Commission. Approximately 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) of the estate have been leased to the Virgin Spa at Natirar, an entity controlled by Sir Richard Branson
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
of the Virgin Group, which plans to develop that portion of the estate (which includes the mansion, stable/carriage barn and most of the other outbuildings) into an exclusive hotel, spa, restaurant complex.
Location
At the end of a 1.25 miles (2 km) driveway within a 491 acres (2 km²) estate that occupies portions of three municipalities. (The main buildings and 327 acres (1.3 km²) are in the BoroughBorough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey
Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey
Peapack and Gladstone is a borough in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,582...
; 124 acre (0.50181064 km²) are in the Borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Far Hills; 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) are in the Bedminster Township, New Jersey
Bedminster Township, New Jersey
Bedminster Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 8,165....
) The core buildings are south of Highland Avenue, east of Main Street/Peapack Road, north of the North Branch
North Branch
North Branch may refer to:In the United States:* North Branch, Kansas* North Branch, Maryland* North Branch, Michigan* North Branch, Minnesota* North Branch, New Jersey** North Branch , a New Jersey Transit railroad stationIn Canada:...
of the Raritan River
Raritan River
The Raritan River is a major river of central New Jersey in the United States. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.-Description:...
and west of Lake Road. The main entrance, once at the Far Hills train station, is now just over the town line, nearly at the spot where Main Street (Peapack Road) crosses the North Branch of the Raritan River
Raritan River
The Raritan River is a major river of central New Jersey in the United States. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.-Description:...
and New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
's Gladstone Branch
Gladstone Branch
The Gladstone Branch is a branch of New Jersey Transit's Morris and Essex Lines. The Gladstone Branch primarily serves commuter trains; freight service is no longer operated...
.
Use
Vacant and publicly inaccessible pending renovations. This was originally an estate for Kate Macy LaddKate Macy Ladd
Catherine Everit "Kate" Macy Ladd was a philanthropist who founded and endowed the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation in honor of her father.Mrs...
(1863-1945), heiress to a Massachusetts whaling, shipping and oil fortune, and her husband, Walter Graeme Ladd (1857-1933). After Mrs. Ladd's death, a convalescent home for women that she had started at Natirar in 1908 assumed control of the property. Under the terms of her husband's will, that home, run by an entity he had started called the Kate Macy Ladd
Kate Macy Ladd
Catherine Everit "Kate" Macy Ladd was a philanthropist who founded and endowed the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation in honor of her father.Mrs...
Fund, was to be sold 50 years after his death. True to form, in 1983 the facility was disbanded, its assets distributed in equal parts to five educational institutions. The property was sold for $7.5 million to Hassan II, the King of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, who visited the property infrequently due to its use as a permanent residence for his children as they attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. After the king's death, ownership passed to his son, King Mohammed VI, who sold the property in 2003 to Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
(the county government is known as the Board of Chosen Freeholders
Board of Chosen Freeholders
In New Jersey, the Boards of Chosen Freeholders are the county legislatures in each of that state's 21 counties.- Origin :New Jersey's system of naming county legislators "freeholders" is unique in the United States...
) for $22 million. The county leased 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) of the property, including all of the core buildings pictured here, to Sir Richard Branson, the British billionaire who owns Virgin Atlantic airways. He plans to renovate the buildings and add a new one to create a resort called the Virgin Spa at Natirar. The carriage house on the property was converted into a Restaurant, Known as 90 Acres. It opened in late November of 2010.
Virgin Limited Edition
The Virgin
Virgin Group
Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding...
Spa at Natirar is advertised to be a 76 bedroomed retreat featuring two gourmet restaurants, a 225 seat ballroom, a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) Organic Farm, Culinary Center, and a "truly superb" Virgin Spa.
Natirar Park
Somerset County operates 404 acres as Natirar, a county park with 247 acres located in Peapack-GladstonePeapack-Gladstone, New Jersey
Peapack and Gladstone is a borough in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,582...
, 124 acres in Far Hills
Far Hills, New Jersey
Far Hills is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 919.Far Hills was incorporated as a borough based on an Act of the New Jersey Legislature passed on April 7, 1921, from portions of Bernards Township, subject to the results...
, and 40 acres in Bedminster. The parks features include areas of lawn and woodland, and river access to North Branch Raritan River
North Branch Raritan River
The North Branch Raritan River is a tributary of the Raritan River in central New Jersey in the United States.The North Branch Raritan River rises in central Morris County south of Dover and flows generally southward into Somerset County, around the southern end of the Watchung Mountains...
. Peapack Brook also flows through the property. The park also includes historic farm buildings and other residential structures and out-buildings dating from the mid-18th through mid-19th centuries which are not open to the public.
External links
- Natirar - official park site
- Limited Edition by Virgin
- N A T I R A R (Official site)