Looking For Some New Dee-lish Digs? a/k/a House Porn For Dreamers

BROOME HALL, DORKING

Some of the scenes in the 1969 Oscar-winning Women in Love were filmed in Oliver Reed’s home, Broome Hall in Dorking. It has now been divided and comprises several apartments. The main portion of the mansion has nine bedrooms, three bathrooms, two receptions and library/study. £1.65m.

FRIARS LAWN, NORWOOD GREEN

The actress Hayley Mills and Gordon Selfridge Jr, son of H Gordon Selfridge, who founded Selfridges, each once lived in Friars Lawn. A Grade II-listed Georgian house, it has impressive views over the conservation area of Norwood Green, west London. £1.9m.

MEWS HOUSE, CHELSEA

Agatha Christie wrote many of her bestselling murder-mysteries at her mews home in Chelsea. The buildings was originally a stables, but after she bought it in the late 1920s, she converted it to suit her and stayed there for life. It has parquet floors, four bedrooms and a blue plaque. £2.6m.

 SHERWOOD HOUSE, UXBRIDGE

Roger Moore lived at Sherwood House, Uxbridge, in the 1970s, when he starred  as James Bond in Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun and The Spy Who Loved Me. The property, on 11 acres, has five bedrooms, gym, wine cellar, pool, annexe and guesthouse. £4.5m

MITFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND

The ruined walls of what was once a grand manor frame this beautiful courtyard garden, which belongs to a Grade II listed property in the popular village of Mitford. £700,000, Strutt & Parker. 

 

HOE FARMHOUSE IN HASCOMBE

And if you're looking to rent, how about Hoe Farmhouse in Hascombe, Surrey? It was let to Sir Winston Churchill in 1915, and he finished four known paintings of the property there. Dating from the 16th century, it is set in Gertrude Jekyll-landscaped gardens. The farmhouse was modified by Sir Edwin Lutyens. There are paddocks with stable block. To let: £10,500 per month

DOVE FARM, WARWICKSHIRE

Grade II listed Dove Farm sits with three adjacent cottages around a picturesque brick paved courtyard, entered via a medieval-style archway .£1.65 million, including the cottages, Knight Frank.

 WANDSWORTH

The radio and television host Johnny Vaughan’s period home in Wandsworth, south London, also has other broadcasting links: it once belonged to Louis Theroux. The 1850-built property has a large kitchen/breakfast room and is decorated in French-style neutrals. £3.5m

THE COACH HOUSE IN CLIFTON

...in Bristol’s upmarket Clifton area helped make musical history.  The album Dummy by Portishead and many tracks on Blue Lines by Massive Attack were recorded there in the Eighties and Nineties. Studios are still wired for sound. The cottage is ready for conversion to a family home. £385,000

 ARDELEY IN HERTFORDSHIRE

 

The film Saturday Night Fever is said to have been conceived in the summerhouse of this Hertfordshire home. Music journalist Nik Cohn wrote a piece there that inspired it, and the Bee Gees were frequent visitors. The house, in Ardeley village, has a chapel-like studio in the garden. £750,000

LONG MELFORD, SUFFOLK

With a name like Coconut House, you might expect this property to be a little more exotic. In fact, it's a Georgian-fronted building with a homely courtyard garden. A spiral staircase leads up from the courtyard to a small terrace above. £725,000, David Burr.

DUNCAON BANABTYNE'S DURHAM

Somewhat grander than a den, Duncan Bannatyne’s five-bedroom home in Durham comes with designer fittings. The kitchen/breakfast room has floor-to ceiling windows on two sides. £875,000

BERWICK-UPON-TWEED, NORTHUMBERLAND

Positioned on the Elizabethan walls of Berwick-upon-Tweed is a historic house with a quaint Italian-style courtyard. £360,000, Smiths Gore

KINGSTON UPON THAMES, LONDON

This homely property is converted from a former stable block, and has a tranquil circular courtyard at its centre. The house has five bedrooms and three self-contained one-bedroom suites around the courtyard, perfect for any visiting friends or family. Around £6 million

FORMER PRIME MINISTER'S HOME

Guide price: from £11.5 million

Agent: Knight Frank (020 7499 1012) or Fine & Country (020 7079 1523)

Love your history? This Grade-II listed building in the heart of Mayfair, now converted into five apartments, was once home to Robert Walpole, Britain's first prime minister. Buy one, and soak up the atmosphere

 

KNIGHTSBRIDGE, LONDON 

 
A stunning ground floor courtyard with decking and a glass window, allowing you to peer into the basement rooms below. The house is a three-bedroom mews home, with underfloor heating and private parking. £10.75 million,

 

CALNE, WILTSHIRE

Identified by English Heritage as the best surviving 17th century building in the town of Calne, this period home has a gravel courtyard with raised beds and pergolas. £425,000, Hamptons International.

 

 DIANE REDMOND'S CAMBRIDGE COTTAGE

Guide price: £599,995

Agent: Fine & Country Cambridge (01223 363700)
A quaint cottage in the village of Great Sheltford that was once owned by Diane Redmond, the children's author and dramatist. Her Pony Club series was very popular in the 1990s.

RINGO STARR'S LONDON BASE

Guide price: from £3.7 million
Agent: Kaye & Carey (02075 900066)
In the early 1990s, Ringo Starr lived with his Bond Girl wife Barbara Bach in a mews house in Kensington and Chelsea. The entire cul de sac has now been completely redeveloped, with four properties on the market.

DAVID BRADLEY'S SOUTH-WEST ESCAPE

Guide price: £695,00

Agent: Fine & Country, Bath ( 01225 320031)
David Bradley, the actor who starred in Kes, supposedly bought this Grade II-listed church conversion because there were so many kestrels flying around. The property, in Radstock, near Bath, is mentioned in the Domesday Book, and is filled with beautiful vaulted ceilings, stone archways, stained glass and frescoes.

 CHILDHOOD HOME OF THE SUPER FURRY ANIMALS

Guide price: £725,000

Guide price: Jackson-Stops & Staff, Chester office (01244 328361)
Music fans will be delighted to hear that this picturesque farmhouse near Pentraeth in Wales is for sale. According to the estate agent, the home was once owned by diplomat Dr Carl Clowes, whose sons, Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan, founded the Super Furry Animals in the 1990s.

CROWSLEY, OXFORDSHIRE 

 

A swimming pool is the centrepiece of the courtyard at this barn conversion in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The courtyard enjoys sun for most of the day and is surrounded by buildings on all four sides, meaning you can enjoy a dip in complete privacy. £3.5 million, Knight Frank.

 

FLORENCE, ITALY

 
The famed Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi designed the courtyard at this restored palazzo in Florence. An apartment in the building is for sale for £1.14 million, Knight Frank.

SANTO VERSACE'S MILAN PAD

   

Guide price: £41.6 million
Agent: Milan Sotheby’s International Realty (+39 02 8707 8300)
Where else would a fashion chief like Santo Versace live but in the heart of MIlan's fashion district? This four-storey home was built in the 1950s, and offers - as you might imagine - a deeply stylish interior, with beautiful mosaics.

LAZIO, ITALY

A well sits in the centre of this colonnaded courtyard with cobbled paving, part of a monastery that dates back nearly 800 years. The building has now been turned into a nine-bedroom home, which could easily be run as a boutique hotel. £1.89 million, Cluttons Italy.

VENICE, ITALY

Right in the heart of Venice is a 15th century palace being converted into 18 apartments. Residents will have access to a peaceful central courtyard that features a water fountain. From £630,000, Venice Sotheby’s International Realty.

El Madroñal, Spain

This tranquil courtyard, filled with potted plants, really comes into its own at night. The villa is in a gated community not far from Puerto Banús, with a swimming pool, gym and cinema room. £4.72 million, DM Properties.

MARBELLA, SPAIN

 

This beachside home with sea views is built around a central courtyard, perfect for al fresco dining and entertaining. Fine & Country, £2.32 million.

 

 

FASHION DESIGNER'S ITALIAN CASTLE

Guide price: £3.1 million

Agent: Agenzia Immobiliare Francesco Papurello (020 7467 5330)
Sometimes described as "the architect of fashion", Gianfranco Ferré was a celebrated Italian fashion designer who became the stylistic director of Christian Dior. This fairytale castle facing Lake Maggiore was once his home. It has two private beaches and a spare property in the grounds. Plus, we're betting, lots of wardrobe space.

On The Other Side Of The Pond

 

Blaine Trump, Donald’s former sister-in-law, is selling her New York state home — a near-200-acre farm with a Greek Revival mansion. The 20-room home has seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, while the grounds include two ponds, pool, tennis court and carriage house. $17.5m [£11.5m)

JENNIFER LOPEZ'S MIAMI HOME

Guide price: £25.4 million

Agent: Nelson Gonzalez (020 7467 5330)
You'll need deep pockets to nab yourself J-Lo's former home, a 1920s estate on Miami Beach. The property has 200 feet of bay frontage, fantastic views over Miami's skyline, a 800-bottle wine cellar and a pool. Plus, unsurprisingly, security doors for the master suite. 

MARY TYLER MOORE'S NEW YORK ESTATE

 

Guide price: £9.5 million

Agent: Houlihan Lawrence (020 7467 5330)
This charming English-style property is the former home of Mary Tyler Moore, the American sitcom actress. Ideal for horse lovers, it has plenty of stables, an outdoor and indoor ring, and land for the horses to roam in. There's also a pool and - just in case you needed it - a carriage house. You'll have no excuse for not turning up to parties in style.

 

HOUSTON, TEXAS 

The perfect spot to enjoy a cool beer on those hot Texas nights, this atmospheric courtyard belongs to a 1970s home with 4-6 bedrooms. £2.28 million, Daugherty Realtors

BARBADOS

Koi carp swim in a pond shaded by banana trees in the courtyard of this seven-bedroom home, on the Royal Westmoreland resort in Barbados. Facilities include a golf course, gym, spa and beach club. Price on application, from Royal Westmoreland.

LOOKING FOR GALT'S GULCH?

DUMUNPALIT ISLAND, PHILIPPINES

 
You can imagine a Bond villain having a lair in this striking island, which has 150-foot high volcanic towers crowning both ends. Locals call it "Turtle island", because the protrusions look a little like turtle fins. The island is surrounded by coral reefs and has over 2,000 feet of beautiful white sand beaches to soak up the sun on. Accommodation however is a little limited - at the moment there's just a caretaker's cottage, and a guest cottage overlooking a private lagoon. Around £2.2m.

DOUBLE ISLAND, ONTARIO, CANADA

 
It's easy to see how this unusually shaped island gained its name. Its six acres are covered with pines and cedars, while there are two natural harbours to sail into - one on the island's east side, and one on the west. A 2,500-square foot house with water views has already been built, and there's also a 1920s cottage which could be renovated. Best of all, it's only a two-hour drive from Toronto. Around £2m

LITTLE BOKEELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA, US

 
Thomas Edison is said to have visited this island when it was owned by the pioneering American chemist Charles Burgess - supposedly, a tree which Edison planted is still there today. The 1920s Spanish-style house was built by Burgess, but has been significantly expanded by its current owners. The island is surrounded by protected state and privately owned land, so its privacy and views should never be threatened. Around £19.1m

EILEAN RIGH, INNER HEBRIDES, SCOTLAND

 
Eilean Righ, ‘The King’s Island’, has a number of unusual royal connections. Its name may pay tribute to the Danish sea King Olaf, who possibly died in the region, while in the1930s, it was owned by the tutor to the last emperor of China Pu Yi, Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston (who was famously played by Sir Peter O'Toole in the film The Last Emperor). Today, there are two houses and a number of outbuildings - including a helicopter hangar and observatory - plus the remains of two iron age forts. £3m

 

GUNPOWDER ISLAND, BERMUDA

This lovely Caribbean island owes its slightly alarming name to the fact it was used as a secret storehouse for military explosives in the 19th century. Today, it's a rather more tranqil place, offering a vast array of accommodation (including a former military barracks). Beautiful features such as a Japanese garden, orchard and waterfall litter the island, and it has has full electricity and water services. Price on request

 

 NANANU-I-CAKE ISLAND, FIJI

The scent of mango and pine trees fills the air at Nananu-i-Cake, a 600-acre island which was once owned by Sir Harold Mitchell, the Tory politician who was vice-chairman of the Conservative party under Sir Winston Churchill. The island offers five beaches, a luxury residence with swimming poool and a deep-water jetty. Around £6.5m

 

MOTO OPUOU, FRENCH POLYNESIA

A tiny island, covering just one acre, located in the lagoon of Raiatea - the largest lagoon of French Polynesia in the Windward Islands. There's a vast amount of white sand beaches and crystal-clear waters, while the island's position between two larger islands mean it is very sheltered. Around £508,000

MOUNU ISLAND, TONGA

Fancy a home where you can watch humpback whales? Part of the Vava'u archipelago, this island's warm, sheltered waters are often home to humpbacks who swim here to mate and give birth. The island is currently an eco-resort, and has been rated as one of Condé Naste Traveller magazine's Top 100 Islands

KALTSONISI ISLAND, GREECE

Grecian islands very rarely come on the market - so one as charming as this is quite a find. Just off the southern tip of Paxos, the island covers 25 acres and is topped with a small church which dates all the way back to 1686. It's undeveloped, but permission has been granted to build a house there - though bear in mind much of the island is protected forest. Around £4.2 million

Related:  Art Déco London


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