It was once the most recognised mansion in Beverley Hills when it was home to the fictitious Clampett family, better known as the Beverley Hillbillies.

Now, the French neoclassical-style chateau of 2,300 sqm and surrounded by 10 acres known as Chartwell, or the Kirkeby Mansion, has been sold to Newscorp's Lachlan Murdoch. 

The final sum is a California real estate record, according to The Los Angeles Times, although the exact number isn’t clear due to privacy, but the figure is believed to be around $150 million.

At a Glance:

• The sale of Chartwell Mansion is believed to be around $150 million
• The sale was to Lachlan, son of Rupert Murdoch, owner of Newscorp
• The facade of the mansion was used in the series the Beverley Hillbillies

The sale of Chartwell is just the latest for a high-end market that has seen a surge of huge deals in recent years.

It was designed by architect Sumner Spaulding and contains a ballroom, formal rooms and a vaulted foyer.

There is a specially built wine vault that can hold 12,000 bottles. 

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The closing credits of the Beverley Hillbillies. Image: Youtube

The 26-room mansion was commissioned by contractor and civil engineer Lynn Atkinson for his wife. She, however, found it too pretentious and they never lived there. 

In the 1940s, it was acquired by Chicago and Los Angeles hotelier Arnold Kirkeby at a cost of $200,000.

Often referred to as the “house with the golden door knobs,” the estate became something of a white elephant during Atkinson’s ownership because of its gargantuan tax bill.

Today the estate carries one of the highest annual tax bills in the Los Angeles area at $1.3 million. 

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The famously private Perenchio, who died in 2017 at 86, acquired the main estate for nearly $14 million in 1986, and added three contiguous parcels in the 1980s. Under his direction, the main residence was enhanced and restored by designer Henri Samuel and architect Pierre Barbe to create a Versailles-like palace that accommodated his growing art collection and a cellar for one of California’s largest private wine collections.

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Lachlan Murdoch, co-chairman of Newscorp. Photo: Wikipedia.

Obscured from the street by walls and hedges, the grounds contain manicured gardens, elaborate fountain features, a tennis court, a 75-foot swimming pool and a pool house. A separate guesthouse was designed by noted architect Wallace Neff.

A secret tunnel, accessed from the basement, runs beneath the home to the swimming pool. Also buried below: a subterranean garage with parking for as many as 40 vehicles.

Drew Gitlin and Susan Gitlin from Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices California Properties; Drew Fenton, Gary Gold and Jeff Hyland of Hilton & Hyland; and Joyce Rey, Jade Mills and Alexandra Allen of Coldwell Banker Global Luxury were the listing agents. Fenton also represented Murdoch in the deal.

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