At some point we’ve all fantasised about what it would be like to actually live in a windmill. Icons of the British countryside, nothing says quaint and charming quite like these huge silos with their massive, graceful sails. If you happen to have £9 million lying around, well, fantasise no more. A grand windmill in Ibstone, Buckinghamshire, is now on the market.
But this isn’t any old windmill. Oh no. Called Cobstone Windmill, it also had a starring role the 1967 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was the fictional home of Dick van Dyke’s eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts and his two children. It’s literally a film star windmill.
The property’s star credentials go further, too. The Cobstone Windmill also overlooks the picture-perfect village of Turville, which was used in the Vicar of Dibley.
Built in 1816, the windmill was used to grind cereal for 60 years. Its exterior was later cosmetically restored for its role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, though it underwent more restoration work when actress Hayley Mills and her husband Roy Boulting bought it in 1971.
Spreads across 36.7 acres of land, the property includes a luxurious four-bedroom house alongside the iconic windmill. Inside that house is a vaulted drawing room with floor to ceiling windows that look onto the outdoor heated swimming pool. The Grade II-listed mill has two additional bedrooms and a reception room, while there’s a stretch of outbuildings which include a tractor barn, a stable building and a workshop.
Here are a few more pics of the place.
Stephen Christie-Miller, head of Savills Henley, said: ‘From the beautiful architecture of the windmill to the spectacular views down the Hambleden Valley, Cobstone Mill has to be seen to be believed and this is even before you bring into consideration the home's extensive film history. Yes, some homes claim to be iconic, however nothing comes close to Cobstone Mill.’
You can check out the listing on Rightmove here. Flying car, sadly, not included.
Did you see that the birthplace of the Brontë sisters could soon be opening to the public?
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