Princess Margaret, Lord Snowdon's country retreat on the market for first time in history at $5.3 million

Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, better known as Lord Snowdon's former country retreat, is on the market for the first time in the home's history.Known as The Old House, the home, which was gifted to Lord Snowdon by his uncle, designer Oliver Messel, prior to his marriage to Princess Margaret, is listed with Blue Book Agency for about $5.3 million.Originally built in 1481, the cottage in West Sussex came into the possession of the Messel family in 1890 and was passed down for generations before Oliver gifted it to the royal couple.Upon receiving the 5,750-square-foot home on the 5.52-acre property, Lord Snowdon transformed the dilapidated home into a private retreat away from the public, often hosting many famous faces, including actor Peter Sellers, ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn, Bianca Jagger, financier Sir Evelyn de Rothschild and more.PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE’S $3 MILLION FROGMORE MAKEOVER COULD SOON BE ERASED: EXPERTS"What Lord Snowdon created here was not simply a private home but an extraordinary creative retreat," Director at Blue Book Agency, Theo James-Wright said. "This was a place where royalty mixed with artists, actors, writers and designers, where some of the most influential figures of the twentieth century gathered behind closed doors.