Carrie Johnson and her husband, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s life outside No. 10 Downing Street is nothing short of idyllic.
Away from the fast-paced bustle of London, the Johnsons live in the picturesque Oxfordshire countryside in the village of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell – and their sprawling, £3.8 million home is the perfect place to raise their three children, Wilfred, three, Romy, one, and four-month-old son, Frank.
One of the most alluring features of their Grade-II listed Brightwell Manor is undoubtedly the five-acres of plush greenery it’s built upon. In the grounds lies a moated castle, thought to have been built by King Stephen in the 1150’s.
The Johnsons’ 400-year-old home still has the original moat wrapped around it on three sides, preserving the rich history of the former Duke of Normandy.
It came to light that Carrie and Boris acquired the property shortly before they welcomed their third child together, so aside from the alluring royal features, the couple no doubt had their children’s future in mind when they purchased the remote country bolthole.
The Johnsons’ moat is fed by a natural spring bordered on three sides by a dam that controls the water level. We can just picture the children having a ball throwing sticks and stones into the water with their parents watching over them.
Doting mother Carrie often shares glimpses of her children’s outdoorsy life on her private Instagram account, in which she revealed ducks roam the grounds and the moat brings an exciting array of wildlife to the property.
Wilfred and Romy Johnson are growing up surrounded by nature
Photographs shared by the mother-of-three also have also shown the couple’s vegetable patch, which provides a rich opportunity for their children to develop their science skills.
According to the RHS campaign for school gardens: “Food growing can teach children about soil, nutrition, science and the life cycles of the vegetables and creatures in the garden.”
They also explain on their website that a vegetable patch can “raise children’s awareness of the seasonal nature and the variety of food.”
Boris isn’t the only former Prime Minister to have flocked to the countryside after departing from No. 10. David Cameron and his wife Samantha also favour green pastures over city skylines.
The Camerons live in the Cotswolds where they purchased a £650,000 home in 2001 when David became MP for Witney, Oxfordshire. It is now said to be worth about £1.5 million.
The sprawling honey-coloured stone ‘cottage’ covered with climbing roses is set in the idyllic Cotswolds countryside near Chipping Norton, moments from the illustrious member’s club Soho Farmhouse.
Mrs Cameron told House Beautiful: “To be honest, the house is slightly falling down. The windows are rotting, the roof needs replacing, but it’s lovely and it’s where we brought each of our children home from the hospital. It’s our family nest.”
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