This thatched cottage which could make you homesick for the English countryside if you are living abroad was once owned by two legends of the film industry.
The Boulting Brothers, John and Roy, bought Kaduna in Moat Lane, Prestwood as a country bolthole.
From the immediate post war years through to the 1970s they produced and directed films which attracted cinema queues stretching round the block.
The twins first hit the big time in 1947 with Brighton Rock and Fame is the Spur.
Other Boulting Brothers classics include Seven Days to Noon (1950) and I’m All Right Jack (1959).
In 1966 Roy met his future wife Hayley Mills, daughter of Sir John Mills, on the set of The Family Way.
Despite the 33 year age gap their relationship lasted for 11 years.
The director was 54 when they first got together, she was 21
After their marriage in 1971 they bought the windmill in Turville, the one used in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
They paid £30,000 for the 19th century smock mill and original mill workers’ cottage, then set about combining the two into a beautiful home.
Sadly it wasn’t enough to save their marriage which ended after seven years.
The cottage in Prestwood was shared by the families of both brothers. It is half a mile from the village centre.
It stands in a south-facing garden of just over a quarter of an acre, large enough to give them privacy without being too far from amenities.
The house is believed to have been built in 1926.
The present guest suite with its vaulted ceiling was added by subsequent owners after the cottage was sold by the Boultings.
It is linked to the main house by a green oak and glass hall now the main entrance to the cottage.
There are four bedrooms and the three bathrooms in total.
The five-star guest suite is at the top of the main staircase in the double height solar hall.
The original master suite with shower room and walk-through dressing room lined with fitted wardrobes plus two further double bedrooms and the main bathroom are at the top of the secondary staircase.
All the main rooms on the ground floor are interlinked.
Double doors from the drawing room open onto 21st century hardwood-framed conservatory which flows into the dining room where there’d s a door through to the kitchen and utility room.
The 21ft drawing room has an oak floor, open fire and French doors onto the garden.
The dining room has exposed timber breams, a wood burner in the grate and a deep bay window.
The kitchen (granite worktops, range cooker) is bespoke.
There’s also a study.
Open all the doors including those through to the garden and you could entertain the cast of a West End play - there’s space to park a limo or two in the drive.
Following this build-up, here’s the exciting climax if like the Boultings you’re in the market for a country cottage away from the madding crowd.
The one-time home of two legendary figures in the entertainment business is on the market through Hamptons International in Great Missenden with a guide price of £1.25m.
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