Aside from a moat and a vegetable garden, Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie's family home in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell also boasts another very impressive feature that is sure to delight their three young children.
The former Prime Minister swapped No. 11 Downing Street for the Oxfordshire countryside, moving into a £3.8 million home known as Brightwell Manor with their children, Wilfred, three, Romy, one, and six-month-old son, Frank. In a rare comment about his home life with his family, Boris admitted that he was building his kids their own mini garage to keep their toys safe and dry.
"I'm building a garage for the quad bike. Not a big quad bike, it was a miniature quad bike. They're too small for quad bikes," he explained on Talk TV in February 2023. Since it has been almost a year since his confession, we imagine Boris has completed his project.
On the subject of how he's filling his time at home, the former MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip added: "It's fantastic because you know, I've got a very full day. I'm doing lots of writing. Unless I specifically tell you otherwise, I'm doing stuff for Uxbridge and doing a lot of political work but yeah, it means I can do reading to them… building things. It's great."
Set in five acres of greenery, the Johnsons' Grade-II listed property was previously home to a moated castle, thought to have been built by King Stephen in the 1150’s. Today, it still has the original moat wrapped around it on three sides, but the listing states: "Originally, the moat also encircled the neighbouring Church of St Agatha, which indicates that the Bishop built it as a garrison church."
Carrie has shared several glimpses inside the grounds, whether she's feeding the ducks with her children or picking fresh rhubarb to utilise in the kitchen.
Inside, the home has been redecorated to Carrie and Boris' taste, with several of their children now enjoying magical bedrooms with handpainted woodland scenes. The listing also previously shared new details about the history of the property and its rustic interiors. "The heart of the house is believed to date back to 1605 with the rooms that are currently the sitting room, family room and oak-panelled bedroom suite making up the oldest part of the property," it read.
“Towards the end of the 18th-century the attractive symmetrical Georgian frontage was added," the listing continued. "The annexe and kitchen were built in the 1950s, in keeping with the Georgian character of the house."
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