The Oxfordshire home that was extensively refurbished by Sir Michael Caine and his wife Shakira in the 1980s is on the market... but you may need the spoils of a gold heist to meet the asking price.
The Rectory Farmhouse at Dawn (Photo: Savills)
During the summer of 1984, the couple wanted to relocate from Hollywood, and began house-hunting in the south of England.
The Rectory Farmhouse at Dusk (Photo: Savills)
Caine wrote in his biography of the find, "The house was gorgeous – about two hundred years old, with gabled windows and beautiful oak beams and it was surrounded by what had once been a magnificent garden with —I could hardly believe our luck— two hundred yards of river frontage.”
The River (Photo: Savills)
“As we drove up through the gates marked ‘Rectory Farmhouse’, Shakira leant over to me and whispered, ‘We’ve got to have it!’ ‘We haven’t even bloody seen it,’ I grumbled – but I should have known better."
The Driveway (Photo: Savills)
“We bought it on the spot – and what’s more, we arranged with the owner to rent it from her for the summer until the purchase went through."
The Reception Hall (Photo: Savills)
The Grade II listed country house sits on the banks of the River Thames in the village of Wallingford, and according to Caine, the property needed, "just about everything doing to it".
The Cocktail Bar (Photo: Savills)
An extension had been added to the house in the 1950s, which the Caines replaced with a modern addition that featured a vaulted-ceilinged reception room, bar, cinema, games room, library, indoor swimming pool and sauna.
The Swimming Pool (Photo: Savills)
Caine observed that the project cost "twice as much as I thought it would", and added “The movies I worked on in 1984 were taken on, more with the new conservatory at Rectory Farmhouse in mind than their critical reception.”
The Conservatory (Photo: Savills)
In addition to the main house, the property includes a separate cottage, lodge, party barn and three-bay timber clad garage. A beautiful circular fountain features in the formal gardens, together with croquet lawns, a tennis court and pavilion.
The Tennis Court (Photo: Savills)
There are three lakes, all with islands. One, spanned by two wooden bridges, has a delightful summerhouse and terrace. An impressive avenue of lime trees draws the eye from the house towards the boathouse, mooring jetty and river.
The Boathouse (Photo: Savills)
The hexagonal Georgian dovecote, which once housed Michael Caine's Port collection and whose shelves still bear the labels written by him, provides ample storage for wine. However, the most important feature of the home is undoubtedly the wall bearing the inscription that neatly summarises Caine's costly renovation: "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off."
The Dovecote (Photo: Savills)
The Rectory Farmhouse is on the market with Savills at a guide price of £10m.