As far as “only-in-America” stories go, this is one for the centuries. It’s an epic tale with a global cast ranging from England’s Charles I – executed for treason in 1649 – to the last Shah of Iran, who was deposed by fundamentalist clerics more than three centuries later. Supporting these imperial cameos is a founding family of New York’s fabled Hamptons enclave – along with a dashing Jewish refugee whose good taste is helping to preserve one of the most historic properties on Long Island’s exclusive east end.
At the centre of this tale is, of course, a home: the Gardiner Estate – a hedge-shrouded, five-acre haven hiding in plain sight in the village of East Hampton. It claims Robert Downey Jr axs a neighbour, but most folks would hardly know the estate is even there. Sprawling compounds are common in this billionaire’s playground some 100 miles east of Manhattan. But they’re typically found atop former potato farms, rather than rambling for acres just off Main Street.
