Our round-up of the top properties for sale this week.
- English man raffling off his mansion for $3 a ticket
- Manor surrounded by its own moat on the market for $8.3 million
Some of the best Vicar of Dibley scenes were filmed in Dibley Manor, home to the David Horton and the hapless Hugo.
Back in the ’90s, the interior of the manor house in the TV series was defined by traditional, albeit predictable, furnishings in keeping with the era of the house.
All that has changed. The Hortons wouldn’t believe the changes to their historic home – think purple Ligne Roset seating in the library and a bright blue mega-sized lounging bed in the media room.
You may recognise Missenden Manor as Dibley Manor in the hit ’90s TV series The Vicar of Dibley starring Dawn French. The longstanding owners have listed the Grade II-listed Georgian property for around $7 million. Photo: Savills.
The Grade II-listed Georgian manor, built in 1729, looks the same on the outside, but the interior has been modernised thoroughly, with a new kitchen, gym and media room, and a contemporary conservatory.
The current owners bought Missenden House in 1994, but are now moving on. They have listed it with Savills, for around £3.95 million ($6.5 million).
As the name suggests, the property is in Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire, one of the most picturesque villages in the UK, which is why it has featured in television shows. In addition to the BBC’s Vicar of Dibley, the village featured regularly in Midsomer Murders. That series was originally going to be called Missenden Murders.
The cast of the BBC’s Vicar of Dibley series included Dawn French as the vicar. The Hortons who lived in Dibley Manor were played by Gary Waldhorn as councillor David Horton (lower right), James Fleet as Hugo Horton (left) and Emma Chambers as Alice Horton, nee Tinker. Photo: Supplied.
Savills says the manor is in “a quintessential English village which lies within the picturesque Misbourne Valley surrounded by miles of glorious Chiltern countryside, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”. The listing also mentions “two popular country pubs” within the village, The Red Lion and the Crown, together with a Saxon church dating back to 975 AD.
Special features of the eight-bedroom house include original stained glass windows, rococo ceilings, a “glass cube” conservatory and beautiful contemporary kitchen. The property has also been extensively landscaped to include a Zen garden centred on a small pond, from a design by award-winning landscape designer Christopher Bradley-Hole.
This story was originally published on Stuff.
The somewhat severe character of the exterior gives way to something altogether different on the inside. Photo: Savills.
The Little Missenden location in Buckinghamshire is a pastoral idyll. Photo: Savills.
A ‘glass cube’ conservatory maximises the beautiful landscaping. Photo: Supplied.
The Hortons would never recognise the renovated interior, which features contemporary furniture throughout. Photo: Savills.
The renovations included opening up the interior to create open-plan living spaces. Photo: Savills.
The thoroughly modern library features Ligne Roset chairs – Alice Horton would surely have loved these, and the multicoloured lamp. Photo: Savills.