The Sunday Times reports that Cate Blanchett, the Oscar-winning actress – she’s nominated again in 2016 for Carol – paid $6 million for a refurbished red brick Victorian English mansion.
Once the home of Sherlock Holmes writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Doctor Who’s Tom Baker, Highwell House boasts five reception rooms, seven bedrooms and a sweeping staircase, amongst its many other features.
The online marketing blurb also details “original wood panelling, a bay window with window seat, rescultped cornicing and large 19th century French chandelier”.
Cate, 46, plans to live there with her husband, theatre director Andrew Upton, 49, and their four children Dashiell John, Roman Robert, Ignatius Martin and adopted daughter Edith Vivian Patricia.
The English Mansion, originally called Higher Steep, has had numerous owners since it was built in 1890, including a jeweller and the wealthy son of a shipping magnate.
Reports say Cate’s new English mansion had fallen into disrepair but was extensively renovated by designer Paula Barnes and her husband, Matthew, in the space of just 18 months.
A source told the Sunday Times that Cate had confided in friends about her impending move at the Golden Globe awards in Los Angeles, adding that despite growing up in Melbourne, she “loved the green” of the English countryside.
The home near the unassuming town of Crowborough, East Sussex, also boasts 5.2 hectares of lush grounds and stunning views.
Cate’s near neighbours include Kate Winslet, Heather Mills and Bryan Ferry.
Cate and Andrew sold their waterfront Sydney home, below, toward the end of 2015 for a reputed $20 million.
But the creative couple has also kept an $8 million “pied-a-terre” apartment in the city as a base for their many work commitments there.
Toward the end of 2015 Cate was honoured with one of her most treasured accolades, the Longford Lyell Award at the AACTA ceremony in Sydney.
