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    This $13 Million U.K. Country House Was Once Home to a British Movie Star

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    Drummers Yard, formerly known as Birchens Spring, is among the U.K.’s most interesting country houses. Designed in 1938 by Arts and Crafts architect John Campbell, who lived in Germany for much of his career, the Grade II-listed property in Buckinghamshire graced the pages of Country Life before the once-glamorous estate fell into disrepair. Following years of neglect, the English manor notched another claim to fame when it was snapped up in 1960 by legendary British actor Dirk Bogarde, best known for his starring roles in Doctor in the House (1954), The Servant (1963), and The Night Porter (1974). 

    Modeled after the hillside villas of Italy combined with the stateliness of a Scottish castle, Bogarde remodeled Drummers Yard from top to bottom before offloading the place two years later to Peter Rogers, the producer of the wildly popular Carry On comedy film franchise, and his wife, Betty Box, who worked on the Doctor series that Bogarde appeared in. The sought-after spread traded hands once more in 1997 to the current owners, who, after nearly three decades in residence, have hoisted the property on the market for £10 million (or about $13 million). 

    A spacious reception room spills onto a large stone terrace.

    Knight Frank; Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

    “Campbell intended for each room to have at least two garden elevations, ensuring the house is light, bright, and airy with exceptional views of the gardens,” notes the listing, which is being represented by Knight Frank. “Whilst appealing to architectural purists, the house will equally suit families looking for a comfortable, well-laid-out home.” 

    Set on a whopping 12 wooded acres near Beaconsfield, the house itself has been adapted to contemporary living by award-winning interior and architectural studio, Tollgard Design. There are seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms across the main house’s 10,000 square feet. On the ground floor, potential buyers are welcomed by a grand entrance hall topped with a dramatic brick and stone arched ceiling. A corridor brings you to a sunroom that overlooks the garden, a circular-shaped formal dining area, a drawing room with a fireplace, and a thoroughly modern Scandinavian-inspired kitchen by Sola. The bedrooms are located on the home’s upper levels. 

    The updated minimalist kitchen is by Swedish design brand Sola.

    Knight Frank; Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

    Despite the many modern updates, rest assured you’ll find plenty of period details reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts movement, including its whitened brick arches and Cornish slate roof. In addition, the digs contain a private gym, complete with a sauna and a steam room, while the grounds are decked out with a two-car garage, a tennis court, and a separate two-bedroom cottage with its own entrance. 

    Click here to see more photos of Drummers Yard.

    Knight Frank; Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      Jane Seymour’s Former Country Estate in the U.K. Hits the Market for $15.9 Million

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      Back in the ’80s, when Jane Seymour was filming the British TV movie Jamaica Inn, the actress stumbled upon St. Catherine’s Court—a historic mansion in Bath dating back to the 1500s. Shortly after, the former Bond girl and her then-husband, David Flynn, purchased the palatial pad together and put the place through an extensive renovation. Later, when Seymour remarried director James Keach, the couple rented the residence out as a film set, recording studio, and wedding venue. Since coming into new ownership in 2007, the estate has recently been put up for sale with Savills for a cool £12.5 million (or about $15.9 million). 

      “Now restored to its former glory, St. Catherine’s Court not only represents a wonderfully idiosyncratic family home, but one that is equipped to entertain on a truly grand scale,” says Ed Sugden with Savills Country Department. And the home has more celeb ties than just Seymour. In the ‘90s, the abode was occupied by The Cure, and, in fact, it’s where the cult-favorite gothic rock band recorded their albums Wild Mood Swings and Bloodflowers. The studio was also a creative hub for Radiohead, who recorded most of their album OK Computer here. 

      RELATED: A Historic UK Palace That Starred in James Bond Just Listed for $93.4 Million

      St. Catherine’s Court in Bath, the former home of British actress Jane Seymour, is up for sale.

      Savills

      Originally constructed for the monks of Bath Abbey, the compound comprises a Grade II-listed manor house, a three-bedroom cottage, a five-bedroom lodge house, and a 15th-century tithe barn. Set on 14 acres, the protected grounds are listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens and have even been praised by acclaimed English landscape architect Gertrude Jekyll. In addition to a 20th-century orangery, there’s a tennis court and two stabling blocks. 

      Altogether, the main house comprises 11 bedrooms and seven bathrooms in a whopping 19,000 square feet of living space. The decadent digs are decked out with ornate plasterwork ceilings, Jacobean woodwork, ancient oak floors, and stately stone fireplaces. Some of the standout spaces include a formal dining room with an impressive carved frieze and a drawing room that doubles as a movie theater, as well as a wine room and a library. 

      RELATED: A Restored U.K. Townhouse on Bath’s Most Prized Street Lists for $6.2 Million

      The centuries-old home has been restored and updated throughout the years.

      Savills

      “Both charming and imposing, St. Catherine’s Court and its gardens are set within a stunningly beautiful hidden valley that leaves one spellbound,” says Ed Sugden with Savills Country Department. “Offering the chance to own a fascinating slice of history, this creative and truly exceptional manor house provides a sense of privacy, peace, and seclusion that belies its location within such easy reach of Bath.” 

      Click here to see more photos of St. Catherine’s Court.  

      Savills

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      Johnny Cash Built This Rustic Tennessee Home for His Son. Now It Can Be Yours for $6.25 Million.

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      Sometime in the 1980s, country music icons Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash commissioned the late master builder Braxton Dixon to build a home for their son, Johnny Carter Cash. At that time, the younger Cash was just a teenager who eventually followed in his family’s legendary footsteps to become a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, musician, and producer. Dixon—aka Nashville’s builder to the stars—also restored and updated an 18th-century log cabin on the thickly wooded 21-acre parcel in Hendersonville, Tennessee, about 30 minutes outside of downtown Nashville. 

      Known as Dogwood Estate, the property has just come up for sale with an asking price of $6.25 million. Erin Krueger and Mary Spotts of Compass hold the listing.

      The location of Dogwood Estate was hardly arbitrary; the elder Cashes had long owned a nearby spread, a six-structure compound also built by Dixon called Sycamore Homestead. In fact, the two properties share a driveway that passes over a wooden, Dixon-built covered bridge. 

      The rustic home was built in 1987 by the late master builder Braxton Dixon.

      Realkit / Compass

      The main house is set in a small clearing with two bedrooms and three bathrooms in nearly 4,300 square feet. Among its many rustic charms are exposed wood walls, yellow heart pine floorboards, stained glass windows from Europe, and Amish-built stone fireplaces.

      The great room includes an open kitchen with custom oak cabinetry that incorporates a charming built-in dining booth, while a huge three-season porch and an equally spacious adjoining screened porch both have treehouse-like views into the canopies of surrounding trees. Elsewhere, a den does double duty as an office with a long, built-in desk, and a massive fireplace anchors a lower-level family room. All three bathrooms are updated—one has a classic claw-footed tub—and the primary suite is a spacious retreat that includes a sitting area with a thirty-foot cathedral ceiling, a fireplace, and a roomy dressing area.

      The cabin, which dates to 1789 according to marketing materials, stands apart from the house. There’s a large room joined by a porch, along with a lofted area. There is not a kitchen or bathroom, so it’s perhaps best suited as a place for quiet relaxation or as a music studio or creative space.

      A 18th-century cabin on the property was also refurbished by Braxton Dixon.

      Realkit / Compass

      Johnny Carter Cash sold Dogwood Estate in 1993, and nearby Sycamore Homestead, which spans nearly six acres with six structures, has not been in the Cash family for quite some time either; the current owner bought Sycamore Homestead in 1992 and now has it on the market for $3.3 million.

      For more than 30 years and until they died within months of each other in 2003, Johnny and June Carter Cash made their primary home a 14,000-square-foot mansion on the shore of Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville. Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees bought the 4.5-acre property in 2005, but the house burned to the ground in 2007 while undergoing renovations. Gibb built a new house, and the property has since changed hands several times.

      Click here for more photos of Dogwood Estate.

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      Rolling Stones Drummer Charlie Watts’s Former Country Home in the U.K. Can Be Yours for $9.7 Million

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      For £7.9 million (or roughly $9.7 million), you could be Goin’ Home to an English country estate once owned by the late, great Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. 

      The musician resided at the Grade II-listed Foscombe House in Gloucestershire from 1976 to 1983, according to the listing that’s held by Savills. Watts, also known as “the Wembley Whammer,” bought the Victorian manse from British novelist and screenwriter Derek Marlowe. He transformed the property’s coach house into an on-site music studio where, one imagines, the Stones used to rehearse and record. However, the detached building has since been turned into a two-bed guest residence. 

      An old carriage house that Watts used as a recording studio has been converted into a guest house.

      Savills

      Thomas Fulljames, best known for his work on Gloucester Cathedral, constructed Foscombe House in 1866. Today, the 16,157-square-foot spread sits on 52 wooded acres and comprises an eight-bed main estate, the previously mentioned coach house, a converted stable block, an indoor pool complex, and its original orangery.

      The main house includes an orangery with original carved window detailing.

      Savills

      “Foscombe House occupies one of the most magical settings in Gloucestershire, with part of its beauty being that it is set in the middle of its own beautiful parkland grounds, with swathes of wildflower gardens and two sweeping driveways of around half a mile each,” says Ed Sugden, director of Savills Country Department. The dwelling is surrounded by thousands of trees that were planted by the present owner, plus a vegetable garden, a large greenhouse, and two ponds.

      The main structure, with its castellated tower, turrets, and Gothic windows, is not short on charm. The mansion’s present owner has made considerable renovations, but many of its original characteristics, such as its exquisite moldings, carved stone fireplaces, and magnificent beamed ceilings, have been preserved. And, if you were at all concerned, rest assured, nothing’s been painted black.

      The main estate has beamed ceilings and stone fireplaces.

      Savills

      On the ground floor, you’ll find a spacious sitting room, a drawing room, and a dining room, plus a Mark Wilkinson-designed kitchen and the majority of the sleeping quarters. The second level holds three additional bedrooms, and a smoking room with its own private terrace is nestled into the tippy top of the tower.

      “The house is the epitome of glorious Victorian Gothic architecture with sun-filled rooms enhanced by the most beautiful features,” adds Sugden. “The height and proportions of the rooms create the most wonderful flow of living space for such a substantial property.”

      Click here to see all the photos of Foscombe House. 

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