Sponsored by
The famous faces that call our county 'home'
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE is no Beverly Hills but it turns out the county has its fair share of famous residents. Features editor Joni Ager reveals which celebrities could be living round the corner from you.
You may not think Northamptonshire would be the first choice for the rich and famous living for a home.
Malibu's year-round sunshine and glorious beaches make it an ideal home to dozens of celebrities, including Mel Gibson, Sting and Barbra Streisand.
Kate Moss, Ewan McGregor and Jamie Oliver all have homes in the trendy Primrose Hill in London, while the exclusive Alderley Edge in Cheshire has become home to a number of famous footballers such as Rio Ferdinand and Cristiano Ronaldo.
But what does Northamptonshire have to offer a celebrity?
We may be within driving distance from London but we certainly don't have the exclusive boutiques and designer shops that those on the A-list have come to expect.
There are places to play golf and go horse-riding, but our bars and nightclubs do not have impressive VIP areas that serve Cristal and vodka by the bottle.
That said, Northamptonshire can offer the peace and quiet sought by many a papparazzi-hounded celeb, and it turns out there are a few country piles that may tempt them to part with their millions.
On the market for 1.65m is The Chimneys, a five-bedroom four-bathroom house in Earls Barton featuring a games room, a spa room with hot tub and steam room, an orangery and a triple garage for your collection of sports cars.
At the top end of the market is Halse Copse Farm near Brackley, which has a guide price of 5.5m. The Georgian stone farmhouse has eight bedrooms, five separate cottages, an off-lying farm with two cottages, a swimming pool, stables and a shooting range.
But how many celebrities call Northamptonshire home?
Footballer Les Ferdinand, who played for England and a number of UK clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle, has set up home here.
Phil Parry, owner of the Bridge Hotel in Thrapston, says "Sir" Les has been into the bar for a drink in the past.
He said: "He just wanders around the town, he doesn't try to hide away.
"I see him in the Co-op quite a lot.
"A lot of people are not quite sure whether it's really him because they don't expect to see him in this sort of situation.
"He seems like a nice guy. He just keeps himself to himself."
Northamptonshire is also the birthplace for a number of famous names.
Thom Yorke, the lead singer with the band Radiohead, was born in Wellingborough in 1968, though his family later settled in Oxfordshire.
But he did return to his home county to play a gig at the Roadmender in Northampton in March, 1995.
Radio 1 DJ Jo Whiley also hails from Northamptonshire, having been born and brought up in Northampton, where her family still lives, and attended Campion School.
Known for her love of live music, she often comes back to Northampton for gigs and she DJs at the Rockin Roadrunner club night at the New Roadmender with her sister. The club night is organised by her mum Christine and is aimed at people with disabilities.
Claire Bicknell, of the Roadmender, said: "Jo still lives locally I believe and she often comes to the Roadmender and the Soundhaus to see bands.
"She is a great supporter of the live scene here. Recently she was at Reverend and the Makers at the New Roadmender."
One of the county's most famous if elusive residents is actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson.
The star of Blackadder and Mr Bean, rumoured to be worth around 1m, lives in a quiet Northamptonshire village with his wife.
But according to local residents, he is a very private person who tends to live a quiet life.
His local postmistress Rita Beard said: "He has been in here a few times.
"He seems very nice but he doesn't like any knowledge about him living here."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Kettering
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: West
