Sir Richard Branson vows to rebuild Necker Island
Sir Richard Branson has vowed to rebuild his beloved Great House on Necker Island after it burned down earlier this week as a result of the tropical storm.
Sir Richard has revealed that he wants the house, which burned to the ground on Monday, to be tip top in time for his daughter’s wedding which is set to take place in December.
Sir Richard said on his blog: “We have a wedding to celebrate in December and I can’t imagine giving my daughter’s hand in marriage, to the very lucky man (!) who is her
fiancée Freddie Andrewes, anywhere other than on Necker Island beach.”
Titanic star Kate Winslet was amongst 20 guests staying in the retreat at the time of the fire, which broke out in the middle of the night after being hit by lightning.
The Virgin boss seems optimistic that he will be able to rebuild the Great House, in which his children grew up in, so that it reflects its former beauty.
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“But like a phoenix something beautiful will rise again from those ashes. It will take some time and it will be a few days before we understand the full extent of what is needed but lots of the talk in the middle of the night turned to what we could build, what would it look like, how could we design something even more beautiful.”
Sir Richard also expressed his gratitude to the Titanic star for helping escort his 90 year olf mother out of the house: “Many thanks to Kate Winslet for helping to carry my 90 year old mum out of the main house to safety.” He wrote on his blog.
The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season officially started on June 1st and will end on November 30th. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.
Necker Island, in the Bristish Virgin Islands, is Sir Richard Branson’s home and favourite hideaway. He first purchased the island in 1978 and it opened as a luxury retreat in 1984, with a team of 60 staff, available for private hire.
Necker Island, which is now part of Virgin Limited, can be hired privately for up to 28 people sharing 14 rooms. Prior to the fire, the Great House offered eight rooms - and there are six Bali Houses dotted around the island. The cost is approximately $2,000 per person per night.
To find out more about the British Virgin Islands, why not click on britishvirginislands.city.mobi and check out the most popular attractions, accommodations, bars and restaurants.