Endymion
Provokes Poetry in Motion
“Therefore, ’tis with full happiness that
I Will trace the story of Endymion.
The very music of the name has gone
Into my being, and each pleasant scene
Is growing fresh before me as the green Of our own vallies…”
-John Keats
Famed 19th century poet John Keats masterfully described the beauties of nature and wonders of life through a visual and metaphorical perspective. To illustrate the quest for eternal happiness and search for magnificent beauty, Keats used the Greek mythological character Endymion in his poem of the same name. In the poem, Endymion is left teased and tormented atop Mount Olympus by the moon goddess Selene—her magnificent beauty left as a lingering vision. Following her departure, he would forever yearn to find an eternal dream state—one where he could eternally hold on to Selene’s unmatched beauty.
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The front gates display the first line of the poem: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever,” etched into the native Tortolian stone. When I spoke with the former owner, the one who renamed the property Endymion, he said, “That right there, that struck a chord with me. Endymion, a thing of beauty—that’s just what it is,” he said of both Keats' poetry and the property.
The villa has had three owners—the original owner who built the two-bedroom, two-bathroom vacation villa in 1975, and the aforementioned second owner who renamed the property when he purchased it with a business partner during his first trip to the BVI in 1977 and owned it for 29 years, renovating it to its current status of the four-bedroom, four-bathroom estate it is today. The immaculate villa now sits matured and distinguished among one of the most pinnacle vantage points in the Virgin Islands—and no expense has been spared to preserve the natural beauty that seems to swallow the estate whole. The current owners have enjoyed the property in its majestic state for the past six years.
Last month, I toured Endymion with Sotheby’s Maritha Keil. She took me up the private estate road, which wraps up a hill as thick with flora as it is with history. Decades ago, Maritha explained, the road was etched out for some of the most extravagant properties of the time—and its subsequent estates ultimately monopolized some of the most sought-after vantage points in the BVI. The road leads to the homes of prominent BVI residents, including government officials. At the top reach of the road, through a gated pass, stands Endymion. We parked on a spacious, paved lot capable of comfortably fitting at least six vehicles. As we approached Endymion, I took notice of the individual peaks that spike the rooftops of the mountainous hideaway. Maritha explained that the unique design is one of Michael Helm’s, the highly renowned BVI architect responsible for Steele Point.
An indigenous rock walkway divides a colourful garden and leads us through two open mahogany doors. As we walk in, my eyes dilate. “Now this is the ‘Wow’ moment,” Maritha told me. “I’ve yet to have anyone come in here and not say ‘Wow’.” In front of me, a quaint dining room unfolds into a lower-level living room, which explodes into a breathtaking panoramic view of the islands.
Beyond the living room, the patio boasts a lap pool that seems to fall off into separate levels that, at any given vantage point, bear witness to views extending from St John’s lush hillsides, across the entirety of Sir Francis Drake Channel, and clear to Great Dog’s rough and rocky coastline. I stop to gawk and can’t help but say to myself, “Wow.” Facing east, the view takes in some of the most breathtaking sunrises on Earth, Maritha explained. On the other side of the astounding panoramic view, we venture back to the 2,500 square-foot residence, and continue on to the four terraced, private bedroom suites. Each suite boasts tall, mahogany-beamed cathedral ceilings, and comes complete with their own entrance, bathroom, and outdoor patio. The estate embodies a Feng Shui design, allowing for the multiple levels to provide for intimate privacy, yet also providing potential for parties and gatherings among the villa’s converging centre point.
Overlooking the property in a separate building, the master retreat features an office, bar, living and bathroom area, walk-in-shower and floor to ceiling patio doors, which open to yet another private patio. “A perfect executive retreat,” Maritha explained. Indeed, the former owner (and former president of a major US television network) reveled in the property’s ability to act as a private sanctuary, an executive retreat, and a fun-filled getaway for colleagues and friends.
“I had [Endymion] for 29 years, and for those years, I traveled around and saw a lot of properties—beautiful properties,” he told me. “But I’ll say it again, Endymion really got inside my soul—it sounds corny, but it did. Those views, those beautiful views, really knock you out.”
To the current owners and the agent charged with selling Endymion to its next lucky proprietor, the estate will always remain a memory of beauty—one that inspires poetry.
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Endymion Summary
Bedrooms – Four
Bathroom – Four
Fully Furnished – Yes
Swimming pool – Yes
Size – 0.85 acres
Price – US$ 1,375,000
