La Creme MagazineThe ultimate in luxury, style & sophistication

Jackie Dockreay can’t decide which of the properties available from Exclusive Use is her favourite.   But then she has a choice between Scottish Castles, English Manors and Aristocratic Stately homes; a choice between French chateaus, Grand Hotels, Country Cottages and villas in the South of France.

“I’ve visited a lot of the properties, but not all.”  she tells me.   “And my team have visited those I haven’t.   So between us, we’ve visited each and every one of them – which means we’re in a position to make informed recommendations to clients.”

Needless to say, a whole host of celebrities have stayed in properties represented by Exclusive Use.

Party like Simon Cowell and the X-Factor at a villa from Exclusive Use

“Exclusive Use means just that,” Jackie says, “a property for your Exclusive Use.   Nobody else there, just you.    We want you to feel as though you live there.    You can have total privacy to close the door and relax as if it’s your own home.”

Cosy privacy at The Barn - from Exclusive Use

Exclusive Use are wish-fulfilment-fairies.    All you need do is ring them, tell them what you want and they will provide it: Free of Charge.   I’ll say that again: – FREE OF CHARGE.   Exclusive Use do not expect you to pay them a penny.    You pay the owners of the properties they provide.   But you do not pay Exclusive Use at all; ever.    For you, the client, their services are completely free.

And at their disposal are more beautiful properties than can be imagined in a dream of dreams – let alone counted.   Some of them are spectacular, others breath-taking and all the stuff of fantasy, of fairy-tale.   If you don’t believe me, take a look for yourself at their website at http://www.exclusiveuse.com

You can hire them for any occasion you want and you can have them all to yourself for as long or as short as you like.   Many clients want just this; to have the property all to themselves.   This kind of privacy is cherished, and Exclusive Use will simply arrange for you to have the property for your own, private use for as long as you want.   You can live as though it is your Manor or Castle, with no intrusions whatsoever.

But they will also provide staff if you want staff; one simple member of staff to discreetly keep the place tidy – or, at the other end of the scale, an entire fleet of maids, valets, chefs, waiters, waitresses – even a butler, if you want one.

One's own personal Butler - Graeme welcomes you to Exclusive Use of your Manor House

They will also provide chauffeurs and limousines, private jets and pilots, super-yachts and horses.

All you have to do is say the magic words: – “I wish…”and abracadabra!   It shall appear.

Romantic Weekend in Style from Exclusive Use

Of course, it’s rather more down to earth than that.   The procedure is generally that you ring Jackie Dockreay and tell her what you want, but this is usually the first of many calls because she will be able to gauge what you’re looking for and send you a set of properties she thinks will suit you.   You then get the extremely pleasurable task of sitting back flipping through all the ravishing castles or manors she has sent you to choose from, saying: – “Hmmm…I think I like this one…no, no – maybe this one…”

Once you’ve made your selection, she will set a team to work on the finer points of your request.

“If you want to be Lord & Lady of the Manor for a weekend,” says Jackie, “we can arrange it, complete with a Butler, Housekeeper and Chauffeur – in fact, the whole Downton Abbey experience.   We can even have the full complement of staff waiting outside in period costume to greet you as
you arrive in your chauffeur-driven vintage Rolls Royce.”

You can even be greeted by your own personal band of bagpipers, just like Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother would have liked.

Greeted by one's own staff and personal bagpipe band...

Your butler will bring you drinks and call you for dinner.   The staff will serve afternoon tea for you and your guests in Victorian serving clothes and make you feel as if you’ve stepped back in time to the full aristocratic experience of the 19^th century television stories we all love to watch.

But they have older properties, too, some of which are 13^th or 14^thcentury.   There are also Tudor Manors with original 16^th century wooden beams and cavernous fireplaces.   Again, if you want properties of this kind all to yourself with no staff or intrusions, you can live there as if it’s your own home, self-catering in total privacy.   Or, if you prefer, it can be themed with 16th century fare and music.

Many people turn to Exclusive Use for the wedding of their dreams.

The Wedding of your Dreams at a Stately Home from Exclusive Use

If you so desire, you can hire an entire Scottish Mansion for your wedding complete with 15 bedrooms for your nearest and dearest, 2 spectacular Master Bedrooms and a genuine late 17^th century Adam fireplace in the drawing room.   A fleet of hand-picked staff will wait on you hand and foot when you want them to, and leave you alone when you want privacy.

Or, if you prefer, you can hire a small 5 bedroomed Manor in the Cotswolds and go it alone; self-catering with total privacy.

“Obviously,” Jackie tells me, “there are wide differences in price.   If you wanted to hire Cliveden with full staff it would move towards £50,000 but a small 5 bedroomed Manor with you self-catering could be as little as £2,000 for the weekend.”

Cliveden is, of course, the sprawling mansion at which the Profumo Affair of the 1960’s was played out, starring Mandy Rice-Davies, Christine Keeler, John Profumo and Dr Stephen Ward.   A major film was made in the 1990’s of this, called, simply: “Scandal.”   Cliveden is also the house at which the video for the 1990’s hit record “Don’t Look Back In Anger” was partially shot.

A number of clients of Exclusive Use are, of course, colossal international celebrities who want privacy more than anything else.    Exclusive Use can provide this: – with a snap of their well-connected fingers, they can erect a metaphysical circle of thorns around your castle or villa to keep all sneaky paparazzi and crawling-through-the-bushes spies at bay.

Simon Cowell and the X-Factor, for instance, stayed in an extremely desirable property close to the Riviera town of Frejus.

Simon Cowell & The X Factory stayed in this villa near Frejus in the South of France, late summer 2011

The villa itself is a kind of Riviera style chateau with a swimming pool, 15 bedrooms and a huge cloistered courtyard which seats 250 guests – or 400 if they’re all dancing (which, if Mr Cowell is involved, they probably would be).

But Exclusive Use also have other fabulous properties along the coast.   In Provence, they reign supreme with a whole range of diverse places for you to rent.

Indeed, it would be difficult to choose from among their enormous array of properties across the UK and France – many of which are private houses, not widely known, widely seen, tucked away from prying eyes behind tall walls and trees.

Home Sweet Home - a cosy Manor from Exclusive Use

And your requirements can be as ordinary or unusual as you want.

“Many people request en suites for every bedroom or no floorboards in the rooms.   Or they want baths, not showers.   But we’re happy to cater to any request.   We let you sit back and relax while we do all the work, coming back to you with what’s available.”

If you can’t decide between several properties (darling, it’s so jolly difficile) , Jackie will put all of them on hold for you while you make a decision.

Sports facilities are taken into account, too.   If you want golf or horses, spas or different activities – they will arrange them for you.   Shooting parties or even chef demonstrations a la Masterchef, only without the voiceover.

“We just help clients get exactly what they want.” Says Jackie.   “We never interfere with their decision making.   We just put everything before
them and leave them to decide.  We feel this is part of the service.   Especially with brides, who enjoy arranging every detail, not just with themselves and their future husbands but with their families; mothers, sisters, friends – everybody gets involved in a wedding, so we step back and let them enjoy the whole process without interference from us.”

The staff for these functions are always very thoughtful, too, even when they finish work for the night – whether at midnight or at dawn.

“At one of our Scottish Mansions,” Jackie tells me with a smile, “the staff leave a little ‘Raid The Larder’ cupboard available for guests who might get peckish at 3 a.m. and wander down to the kitchens.   After all – this is Exclusive Use.   While you are in residence at the property of your choice, it IS YOUR PROPERTY and we want you to be able to behave and feel as you would if you lived there.”

The castle she is talking about is Archerfield House, an absolutely spectacular Scottish Mansi0n (which you will find on Exclusive Use’s website under just that title: – Scottish Mansion).   It’s perfect for a Scottish Laird or Thane.

Play the Scottish Laird at one's own castle - Archerfield, the Scottish Mansion from Exclusive Use

Archerfield can sleep 30 people with additional rooms connected to the main house and a spectacular dining room that seats up to 50 people.

“It also has a fabulous Function Room,” Jackie says, “which overlooks the sea right at the water’s edge.”

Speaking of Function Rooms, Exclusive Use cater to corporate parties, too.

“Corporate use is usually much more focused.”   Jackie tells me.   “Far more detailed and full of everything that’s possible, especially if they’re bringing the whole company along – fifty or more people who are being rewarded for good work, or a major business conference when they want to pull all the stops out to impress new clients.”

Board Meetings can be arranged along with Training Sessions or Conferences with Speech Platforms and cameras.    Cocktail parties can be held for your staff or Treasure Hunts arranged, perhaps It’s A Knockout might take your fancy.   Or a variety of sporting activities for groups; golfing, riding – anything you want for corporate as well as personal use.

The British Social Calendar is always taken into account by Exclusive Use.

Family Holidays and Special Events at Ackergill Castle from Exclusive Use

Properties at Ascot are hired for Royal Ascot racing week.   Henley Regatta has a fabulous set of properties, one of which is just a few minutes’ walk from the river, attached to an old Coaching House, all wooden floorboards and natural fabrics.   It can cater to 60 people for a dinner or party.    Surrounded by woods and close to the river, it is perfect for the Regatta and the Music Festival.

Aristocratic Dinner Party from Exclusive Use

Exclusive Use also offer you an entire hotel, all to yourself, if you want one.    Or for car enthusiasts, they will arrange for Classic Cars to ferry you
everywhere; they can even arrange for Formula One enthusiasts to stay in one of their properties and spend their leisure time on Formula One Simulators nearby.

In fact, anything can be arranged; anything you want.

Your wish is their command.

Charming, courteous and discreet - Jackie Dockreay of Exclusive use

Jackie Dockreay and Exclusive Use can be contacted on: – 0845-557-0392

You can find their spectacular website at: -      http://www.exclusiveuse.com

Postal Address: -

Milestone House

86, Hurst Road

Horsham

West Sussex,

RH12 2DT

Jackie Dockreay was talking to our Editor-in-Chief, Sarah Holland