Sarum Chase is a Grade II listed neo-Tudor mansion, at 23 West Heath Road, Hampstead, London, described by Nicholas Pevsner as "pure Hollywood Tudor". It was built in 1932 as the home and studio of portrait artist Frank O. Salisbury

Frank O. Salisbury

Francis Owen Salisbury was an English Methodist artist from who specialised in portraits, large canvases of historical and ceremonial events, stained glass and book illustration. In his heyday he made a fortune on both sides of the Atlantic and was known as “Britain’s Painter Laureate”...

. The word Sarum is the old name for the town of Salisbury

Salisbury

Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...

. The architect was Vyvyan Salisbury, his nephew. The author's wife cut the first sod on the site, on 4 September 1932. They moved in on 4 July 1933.

In his 1953 autobiography, also titled Sarum Chase., Salisbury wrote:

Telegraph Hill rises from the junction of Platt’s Lane and West Heath Road to one of the highest points in Hampstead overlooking London, with a wonderful view across country to the Chilterns. It was the place where the beacon was lit to carry the tidings of the Spanish Armada. What a place for a garden! What a situation for a House! The land was as bare as the heath itself except for a group of giant oaks in front, and it was the glory of these trees which ultimately decided the matter. This was the last primeval site on Hampstead Heath, the very summit of London, and I resolved to have a house worthy of the situation […] This wonderful little hill at the very top of London was a wilderness of stinging nettles and wild plants and it was thrilling to look forward to what might be made of it.

On his death in August 1962, Salisbury bequeathed the house in trust to the British Council of Churches. However, the BCC sold the mansion and auctioned its contents.

On 7 June 1968, it was the setting of a photoshoot for The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

, for their Beggars Banquet

Beggars Banquet

- Personnel :The Rolling Stones* Mick Jagger – lead and backing vocals, harmonica on "Parachute Woman"* Keith Richards – acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar on "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Street Fighting Man", backing vocals, lead vocals on opening of "Salt of the Earth"* Brian...

album, by photographer Michael Joseph. Previously unseen images from the shoot were exhibited at the Blink Gallery in London in November and December 2008. The house was also the setting for a low-budget horror/ glamour film, Miss Frankenstein.

When listed, in May 1974, the house was in use as St Vedasts School for Boys

St James Independent Schools

St James' Independent Schools in London are three private schools for children aged 4 to 18. The juniors' and senior girls' schools are in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the senior boys' school in Ashford, Surrey.-History:...

., an arm of the School of Economic Science

School of Economic Science

The School of Economic Science , a registered charity based in Mandeville Place, near Oxford Street in London, provides courses in what it calls "Practical Philosophy" and "Economics with Justice". The courses are based on the Hindu philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, which sees an underlying unity in...

. The SES sold the building in January 2005, for £9,300,000. It is now once again a private residence.