Date published: Saturday 08 April 2006
Big fish move in
Hollywood is coming to the sleepy hollow of Sutton Courtenay where actress Helena Bonham Carter and her film director partner Tim Burton have bought a property.
Mill House
Ms Bonham Carter's publicist Karon Maskill confirmed that the couple had purchased a house in the village, near Abingdon.
This is known to be the 18th century Mill House, off Appleford Road, which once belonged to Bonham Carter's great-great grandfather Herbert Henry Asquith, the first Earl of Oxford and British Prime Minister from 1908 to 1916. He is buried in the churchyard at nearby All Saint's Church, which also houses the grave of George Orwell.
The house, which was later owned by Ms Bonham Carter's grandmother Violet, boasts eight bedrooms, paddocks and an eight-acre riverside garden and was on sale through estate agents Knight Frank at a guide price of £2m.
Ms Maskill said: "They still have their home in London but this place will be like their country hideaway.
"There's a family connection there that may or may not have influenced their decision. They just fell in love with the house and the village."
Steve England, landlord of The Fish, opposite the house, said the couple had already been in for lunch.
He said: "They've been in here a couple of times and they are a very nice couple. As a village, we try to be pretty relaxed about their presence because we want to respect their privacy, but these are the only famous residents that I'm aware of and it's all quite exciting. I'm hoping they will be regular customers."
Ms Bonham Carter, 40, was born in Golder's Green, London, and made her name in Merchant Ivory costume dramas such as Howard's End and A Room With A View. She has appeared in several of Burton's films, including Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride.
California-born Mr Burton, 48, is known for his eccentric, gothic style, which became familiar to cinema audiences with the release of Beetlejuice in 1988 and Edward Scissorhands two years later. Other films include Big Fish and Sleepy Hollow.
The couple, who have a three-year-old son called Billy Ray, met in 2001 filming his remake of the 1968 classic Planet of the Apes.
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This is the fireplace where the lovely Mr and Ms P will be warming themselves just in time for Christmas.
