Celebrity Farmers
It would appear that many celebrities have been attracted to the idea of farming as a business venture (albeit with a farm manager frequently overseeing things!).
Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby bought a small farm in the Cotswolds, Alex James of Blur produces cheese from his Cotswolds farm and even Liz Hurley has tried her hand at organic farming.
But things don't always go so smoothly, Radio Four presenter John Humphrys, tried to run an organic farm in his native Wales but publicly admitted defeat.
Of course for celebs sampling the country life, unlike local farmers it is not essential that they make their farm land pay for itself – so for the time being they will continue to buy prime sites in the English countryside and possibly lease land they don't require back to local farmers.
Sticking Closer to Home
The summer hideaway for the rich and famous has traditionally been in Tuscany, Provence, or The Algarve but the appetite for these areas appears to be waning - not least because of the poor exchange rate between the pound and the euro.
Bilderbeck explains that the UK's wealthy are increasingly looking closer to home when it comes to splashing their cash.
"There is a lot of interest in Cornwall and Dorset now and of course The Cotswolds which is very much seen as 'Chelsea in the country'. You have the likes of Liz Hurley, Kate Moss and Alex James of Blur living in the area. The Cotswolds region is not too far from London and it is exactly what some people want – a quintessentially English setting but with the added benefits of beautiful clothes shops and good restaurants and pubs."
The general gist of things is that in most cases the UK celebrity likes the idea of the country life but they have no intention of roughing it!
Alton in Hampshire and the Meon Valley between Winchester and Basingstoke are sought after areas and villages in Norfolk and Suffolk are increasingly on the radar when celebs are looking for that country retreat.
The Perfect Celeb Retreat
As Bilderbeck explains the country not only offers celebs clean air and the prospect of rolling acres of land, it also offers a bit of peace and security.
When the Beatles hit the height of their fame in the mid 1960s, John Lennon moved to the sanctuary of an exclusive private estate in Weybridge in Surrey, called St George's Hill. Over the years celebrities including Cliff Richard have lived there and more recently the area has become popular amongst Chelsea footballers whose training ground is only a stone's throw away in Cobham.
"Security and privacy is a key issue for celebrities," Bilderbeck explains. "Clients will pay more for a property if it is considered best of breed – for instance not close to a main road or near a railway. Private road access and security barriers to private estates are frequently preferred. When you are searching for properties for celebrities it is very house specific as there are often very exacting requirements. For instance two years ago Jasper Conran bought Venn House, a grade 1 listed Georgian property in Somerset."
He is believed to have paid a little less than the asking price, £8.5m. The nine-bed, six-reception pile comes with 34 acres, two cottages and a tennis court – so he is not short of space.
Bilderbeck adds: "There is a limited supply of such listed buildings so they remain highly sought after and tend to hold their price regardless of what the property market in general is doing."
Safety In Numbers
Finding the property that ticks all the right boxes is one thing but celebrities also like to be in an area where they are not the only big name in town.
"You find that particularly with footballers that they like to live in areas where there are other players or sportsmen nearby," Bilderbeck explains. "This is why areas like the Wirral and Cheshire have become sought after locations for the Premier League players of Manchester and Merseyside."
Frequently properties are often sold on from one player to another when players move out of the area – for instance, Christiano Ronaldo's old house in Alderley Edge, Cheshire was recently snapped up by new Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor for £5.5m. It is believed the former Arsenal striker beat off competition from team-mates Kolo Toure, Gareth Barry, Carlos Tevez as well as Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia. Though no doubt they will all fine their own 'des res' in the locality in good time!