Chris Evans' ex-home on sale at £4M – but watch out for the neighbours

Chris Evans’ old home in Windsor hits the market for £4M… just don’t mention the neighbours

• EXCLUSIVE: Three-storey, six-bedroom Grade II listed Georgian masterpiece goes on sale for £4million
• House boasts direct access to Windsor Great Park – and sits half a mile from Prince Andrew’s Royal Lodge 

A six-bedroom three-storey house on the very edge of Windsor Great Park once lived in by Chris Evans – with direct views of Prince Andrew’s home – has gone on the market for £4million.

The Gate House, located two miles south of Windsor, is a Grade II-listed detached Georgian red brick house that sits at the very end of the road that leads into the sprawling 4,800 acre (1,942 hectares) green space, which for centuries was a royal hunting ground.

Among the neighbours any prospective buyer would have is the disgraced Duke of York, whose official home, the Royal Lodge, is half a mile down the road inside the park itself and can be reportedly seen from the house; while Windsor Castle is just a few miles away.

Agents Inigo say the 3,500 sq ft home boasts ‘wonderfully preserved and restored’ original features inside, complemented by sympathetic modern additions including a designer kitchen and luxury bathrooms.

A two-storey addition was added to the side of the house, boasting a second, larger reception room and an additional bedroom, built with the same red bricks in a Flemish bond as the house itself.

The Gate House is a luxurious Grade II-listed detached Georgian red brick house on the edge of Windsor Park

A library and study with custom bookshelves and an open hearth awaits in the first room to the right of the entrance hall

A wider view of the kitchen. The five door Aga stove sums up the versatility of the room, which combines modern conveniences with period character. The dining room can be seen through the French windows at the rear

Entering the grounds through a set of electronic painted wooden gates and up a pea-gravel driveway, visitors are greeted by a huge six-panel door and radial fanlight, which leads into a pitch pine floorboard entrance hall.

To the right sits an elegant library and study, walls lined with custom-built bookshelves and an open hearth – while the dining room, drawing room and access to the terrace sit on the other side of the hall.

READ MORE: Prince Andrew is seen riding horses and driving his Range Rover at Windsor Castle ‘after King Charles ordered Royal Family to welcome him back into the fold’

The drawing room boasts another fireplace – a 19th century example built in France based on 18th century designs – and a pair of French windows lead out onto the western-facing terrace.

The York stone terrace overlooks an immaculate lawn bound by deep flower beds – and a private entrance gate to the park, complimented by a wisteria-wreathed iron serpentine pergola.

As part of the Crown License conditions attached to the land, the King commands the tenant to ‘tend and cherish’ the wisteria that adorns the trellis – and it is said that Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, would often stop by to check on the health of the plant when she lived at the Royal Lodge.

Behind the dining room is the kitchen – paved with limestone flags, and finished with black granite worktops and Plain English Design cabinetry.

Despite being a modern kitchen – with integrated dishwasher, five-door Aga stove and a dresser that hides a modern fridge-freezer – it is full of traditional touches that ground it in its surroundings, from a central island unit on country house-style legs, an antique wooden bacon rack and a slate sink.

Behind the kitchen, there is a traditional scullery, with another complimentary slate sink, a larder with slate shelves, a boot room and flower cupboard, as well as a washroom and the boiler room.

Heading upstairs, the first floor features two bedrooms, a shower room and the principal bedroom suite, to which the entire western wing extension is dedicated – made up of the chambers themselves, a dressing room and a dedicated bathroom. 

The dressing room is adorned with panelled fitted wardrobes, while the bathroom has a claw-foot tub at its centre and a traditional shower attachment.

As with the kitchen, careful attention has been paid to ensure the modern bathroom fits in with its surroundings – with a vanity unit on country house-style legs and a wall-height shoe cabinet with enough room for even the most demanding of footwear collections.

Two-west facing and one south-facing window allow gentle light to enter in the morning. Two other bedrooms sit on the east wing, with one boasting wardrobes along its length.

The master bedroom takes up the entire west wing of the first floor of the Gate House

The adjacent bathroom – reserved for the master (or mistress) of the house – features twin sinks and a vanity table set on traditionally styled table legs and a claw-foot bathtub at its centre

The second floor is home to three further bedrooms and an additional bathroom – with one bedroom configured as a second study and library with bespoke bookshelves and cupboards.

North and eastern windows make it a ‘lovely space to work in the mornings’, according to the agents.

The central landing leads to another bedroom to the west, while access to a partially-boarded loft space can be found overhead.

The western bedroom can be bisected thanks to wide-set wedding doors, allowing it to be reconfigured as either a dressing room or a smaller room for an infant.

Other hugely desirable features of the luxury lodgings include a northern terrace, from which deer can be seen as they make their way across Windsor Great Park, and a detached garage with a 1,800-bottle capacity wine cellar underneath.

Agents Inigo said of the home: ‘Set on the edge of Windsor Great Park, this exquisite Grade II-listed detached Georgian red brick house is the very last house on the much-coveted road. 

‘Internal accommodation extends to almost 3,500 sq ft across six bedrooms, while the wonderfully preserved and restored original interior features are complemented by sympathetic additions, including a Plain English Design kitchen and Aston Matthews bathrooms.

‘Large mature gardens envelop the house, directly abutting Windsor Great Park, at the edge of the deer park – Royal Lodge is this home’s immediate neighbour. 

‘Access to central London is excellent, with trains from nearby Egham station taking 40 minutes, and Heathrow Airport is just 20 minutes’ drive away. 

‘Local day and boarding school options are exceptional, and opportunities for country pursuits, including polo, golf, horse riding and horse racing, are world-class.’

Radio and TV presenter Chris Evans rented the home for around two years, paying a reported £6,000 a month. He is seen here in November 2019 driving out of Windsor Great Park in an Aston Martin

Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park is home to Prince Andrew – the new immediate neighbour of whoever snaps up the £4 million Gate House

Prince Andrew seen in Windsor Park earlier this week. He is said to have signed a 75-year lease on the Royal Lodge in 2003

Radio and TV show host Chris Evans rented the house for around two years for £6,000 a month – and was once reprimanded by security at Andrew’s estate for attempting to drive through Great Windsor Park in a 1964 Aston Martin DB5.

Evans was snapped trying to take the shortcut via the entrance close to the house in late 2019 – which would have cut miles, and minutes, out of his journey between the house and a property he was renovating in Ascot – days after Prince Andrew stood down from Royal duties.

The Duke of York disappeared from public life following a disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, in which he sought to clear the air after Jeffrey Epstein, the paedophile financier he had regarded as a friend, was found dead in a New York jail cell.

Andrew has been accused of sexual abuse – charges he has strenuously denied. He paid a multi-million pound settlement to one of his accusers, Virginia Giuffre, in February last year. 

Despite relinquishing Royal duties during the reign of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Andrew has continued to live in the Royal Lodge.

He took up residence in the park in 2003, signing a reported 75-year lease on the building, and has reportedly suggested he will not leave – amid claims that his brother, King Charles III, wants to see him give up the tenancy.

Source: Read Full Article