The Obamas have bought a spectacular new house on Martha's Vineyard

The charming island of Martha's Vineyard, just off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, has long been a summer haunt of the great and good of American society - and now it has a new distinguished family in residence. Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have bought one of the island's most beautiful properties, a 7-bedroom house set in a 29-acre estate, looking out onto the Edgartown Great Pond between Slough Cove and Turkeyland Cove.

Barack and Michelle have been spending summers on Martha's Vineyard for many years, visiting while Barack was still a senator in Illinois and continuing after they started life at the White House. In this they were following the example of Bill and Hillary Clinton, and indeed a line of presidents going back stretching back into the 19th century, who have been charmed by the island's quiet community life and its spectacular sea views.

The house, built in 2001, is nothing if not spacious, with 6,892 square feet and eight and a half bathrooms, plus a garage, barn and pool, and direct access to the pond with space to moor a boat. The Obamas rented the house for several weeks in the summer of 2019, so they're already well acquainted with its advantages. The house was originally listed in 2015 for $22.5m, but the price has halved over the last five years. This will be the Obamas' second home, in addition to the sprawling nine-bedroom Tudor style mansion they own in the Kalorama neighbourhood of Washington DC. Scroll down to see more pictures of this heavenly country retreat.

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