Boris Johnson buys £3.8m nine-bed Georgian manor house (with moat) - Update: Swimming pool plans threatened by newts

Controversial: Politics & Govt Politics & Govt: In The News
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The former prime minister and his wife, Carrie, have in recent weeks viewed a property in a picturesque village. The Guardian has been told they have now made an offer that has been accepted.

The house, which features its own moat, was listed for sale for “offers in excess of £4m”. It is not known how much Johnson has offered to pay for the house, which is now shown as “sold subject to contract”.

The five-bathroom house dates back to the early 1600s and is set in almost five acres of grounds. Three sides of the grounds are bounded by a moat.

The move would add to speculation that Johnson is considering running for election in Oxfordshire rather than his existing seat of Uxbridge, a marginal in west London with a majority of 7,200.

The village is close to Johnson’s previous constituency of Henley, for which he served as MP between 2001 and 2008.

Last month Johnson was seen being shown around a private school in Oxfordshire, with a view to sending his son Wilf there as a day pupil in September 2024, followed by his daughter Romy. His four children with his ex-wife Marina Wheeler, a barrister, all attended state primary schools in north London.

The couple had also been reportedly looking at other homes, also in the £4m price range, in Fulham, London.

That’ll be nice … BJ and CJ can play at being Lord and Lady Muck … :roll_eyes:

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In some areas, £4m can be the going rate for a decent abode.

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Apparently, it’s this one:

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The front may be unassuming but the rear lends itself to all sorts of permutations and possibilities … :thinking:

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The frontage reminds me of my old pile I sold in Teddington to move to Iver S Bucks. The back is all extensions tacked onto extensions and possible trouble in store. I’ve already spotted a potential roof leak where some cowboy has added flaunching to an extension instead of the appropriate lead flashing. Maybe there’s a hitching rail alongside the tradesman’s entrance :wink:

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Well, when a property is 400 years old it’s unlikely to be perfect … :man_shrugging:

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Whatever a property’s age, decent and full weathering is always possible and if that’s grade 2 listed, every repair/alteration has to comply. BJ would be wise to delve deeply into the building’s history.

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Is the moat underground?

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For those who want a “viewing”:

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Scroll down and click “View image Gallery”

Brightwell Manor is a house steeped in history, with a moated castle believed to have been built on the site by King Stephen in the 1150’s. The current house is believed to date back to 1605 with the striking Georgian façade, faced in blue brick headers, added in the late 1700’s. Of its many owners perhaps the most notable was the Reverend Dr W R Inge, Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral and Knight Commander of the Victorian Order. He was a prolific author and used the family room as his study for writing.

The house is awash with period features reflecting both its Tudor and Georgian origins, including high ceilings, large sash windows with shutters, wood panelling, ornate cornicing, open fireplaces and flag stone floors. Of particular note is the beautiful mural painted by the neo romanticist, George Warner Allen.

The gardens are predominantly laid to lawn there are mature trees including a chestnut tree, grown from a conker taken from Windsor’s Royal Mile, as well as fruit trees.

If I’d seen it before BJ I might have put in an offer myself … :wink:

Now

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will become

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What Carrie wants, Carrie gets … but BJ will probably use the “guest-house” as his “study” … :laughing:

More photos here:

TBH, I’m glad I missed the opportunity - re-decorating and re-furnishing would require another million or two … :open_mouth:

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IMO, this is the “route” of the moat

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part of which can be better seen here:

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@Omah … I was about to say … before I saw your post …

The mind boggles when Carrie’s questionable taste ( as in she has none) meets 400 year old elegance …

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That is a “Moat” point :smiley:

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Update:

While Mr Johnson holds a 7,000-vote majority, his west London seat is seen as a realistic target for Labour at the next election.

In a statement on Thursday, the Uxbridge and South Ruislip Conservative Association said: “Tonight the Uxbridge and South Ruislip selection committee adopted Boris Johnson as our parliamentary candidate. We look forward to continuing to work alongside him to deliver for the residents and communities within the constituency, where he has strong connections and involvement. His commitment to deliver a new Hillingdon Hospital for Uxbridge and South Ruislip residents remains at the forefront of his work as our local MP.”

Surprise, surprise … a risky gamble … :thinking:

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“Boris Johnson could be blocked from making a “chicken run” to a safer constituency to fight the next election because of rules imposed by Conservative high command, The Telegraph understands.

The former prime minister has insisted he will defend his current seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in Greater London.

However, with Mr Johnson facing a tough fight to retain the seat, there has been speculation that he may seek to engineer a move to a more winnable constituency.

This has only been intensified by reports of Mr Johnson house-hunting in Oxfordshire close to his former seat of Henley, where the current MP, John Howell, has not yet confirmed whether he will stand again at the next election.

However, Tory sources have said that Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) is likely to stand in the way of Mr Johnson attempting a “chicken run”.

A senior Conservative source told The Telegraph that while MPs can seek permission to relocate to another seat if they are affected by boundary changes, this is only likely to be approved if the electoral “character” of their seat is negatively affected by the changes.

The source said that the rule was aimed at preventing a free-for-all of MPs scrambling en masse for safer constituencies.

For example, an MP could be granted permission to apply to be the candidate elsewhere if boundary changes mean their seat has gone from a strong Tory majority to a substantial Labour one.

However, the source claimed this is not the case for Uxbridge, with the revisions favouring the Tories.

Mr Johnson achieved a majority of 7,210 in 2019, but according to analysis by Electoral Calculus, if he had fought that election under the new boundaries due to come into effect, the majority would have stood at 8,193.

The senior Tory source said that CCHQ could not be seen to make an exception for Mr Johnson, and that buying a family home or sending his children to school in a different constituency would not be viewed as a valid reason for approving a move.

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So BJ will have to “slum” it … :laughing:

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Well, you’d hope they would block him from doing it, really, but they probably won’t, because he’s still popular with some, can’t think why, and they’ll want to keep him

He’s always struck me as rather a big headed and vain person

He didn’t react well to being chucked out as PM so it wouldn’t surprise me if he doesn’t stand again in his own constituency to avoid the humiliation of losing

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John Howell, who replaced him as the MP for Henley when he became Mayor of London in 2008, has announced he’ll be retiring.

And it just so happens the Henley seat, where Mr Howell won comfortably with a majority of 14,053 in 2019, is close to a “magnificent” nine-bedroom Cotswolds mansion Mr Johnson and wife Carrie are understood to have bought

Mr Johnson tonight insisted he plans to remain as the Conservative candidate in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.

But could still decide to switch seats at a later date, including if a Commons investigation finds he misled MPs over Partygate and he is ousted in a by-election. (1)

(1) The next United Kingdom general election is scheduled to be held no later than 28 January 2025 .

So, we shall have to wait … :047:

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No news yet of BJ’s relocation(s) and the Johnsons are maintaining an unusually low profile. Seemingly, since their holiday in the Caribbean last October, they have managed to breeze through the VIP Windsor Suite at Heathrow an astonishing 20 times and the VIP Sussex Suite at Gatwick on three occasions. There have been sightings of the Johnsons carousing in the Dominican Republic, Slovenia and Greece, always staying at the most expensive hotels. There have been innumerable other less public holidays behind the high perimeter fences of their rich friends’ private retreats around the world.

Boris and Carrie live the Gatsbyesque life - The New European

:roll_eyes:

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These are the rewards when you work for a living.

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Carrie’s called Lulu Lytle - now there’s just the matter of some getting to pay for the refurbishment (gold wallpaper everywhere) - another £4m … :question:

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And the taxpayers are paying his defence team over the Partygate? :woman_shrugging:

Well, it’s no surprise, is it, this grubby, vulgar self-serving man has come up with the dosh for it?

I doubt it’s his dosh or if it is, what are the sources? :woman_shrugging:

He trousers a lot of cash on the back being one of our worst ever PMs

And the chumocracy have maybe slipped him into some lucrative roles involving no work

But life ain’t fair, nothing to be done about it

Just thank Gawd he’s not PM any more at least we’re shot of that embarrassment

But still, if karma caught up with him and his mansion got struck by lightning or Carrie left him and he lost his shirt in the divorce, it would be luvverly, wouldn’t it?

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