£2.75million 18th century home where Tory MP grew up is up for sale (and the ... trends now
The picturesque eight-bedroom Somerset house that housed Jacob Rees-Mogg in his teenage years is up for sale.
The grade II listed Georgian home, which is in the small village of Hinton Blewet, still features security fittings from the Rees-Moggs' tenure, to protect his journalist father, William Rees-Mogg, from IRA threats.
The current occupants of the house say that in 2015 when they moved in, wiring for security cameras was still in all the rooms.
The Old Rectory has been extended and refurbished and is described as an 'elegant, impressive, warm and welcoming family home,' despite the solid steel doors and cellar panic room.
An indoor swimming pool was added in £750,000 renovations that included building an additional two-bedroom apartment, bringing the price of the historically significant house to an intimidating £2.75million.
The Grade II listed home in the Somerset village of Hinton Blewet is on the market for £2.75million
The current owners installed a 7-metre L-shaped pool during renovations in 2015. The indoor heated pool boasts wifi speakers
William Rees-Mogg was editor of The Times between 1967 and 1981, before becoming a columnist for the Mail On Sunday. He earned fame for his staunch defence of Mick Jagger over drug offences in 1967.
While studying at Oxford University, William Rees-Mogg served on a society committee with Margaret Thatcher, who was at the time Oxford University Conservative Association President.
A devoted Catholic, he interviewed Prime Ministers, Popes, and pop stars throughout his diverse career.
He was elevated to the House of Lords in 1988 as a life peer and became Baron Rees-Mogg of Hinton Blewet.
With his wife Gillian Shakespeare Morris, who he married in 1962, William Rees-Mogg raised five children, including Jacob Rees-Mogg and Annunziata Rees-Mogg.
David Cameron led tributes when he died of cancer in 2012 and his son Jacob Rees-Mogg penned a moving memorial in which he said he knew he would never know as much as his father.
William Rees-Mogg, who died in 2012 (left). He was the editor of The Times between 1967 and 1981 and is the father of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg (right)
Jacob Rees-Mogg and his father, William Rees-Mogg, in a French documentary when Jacob was a child. He's asking: 'What do you think of the result of the by-election?'
Jacob Rees-Mogg (right) pictured with his parents and younger sister Annunziata (left) at a London party in 2004
Dr Jacqui Leaman-Grey, who moved into the house with her husband Rear Admiral Richard Leaman in 2015, told The Times they'd asked the Ministry of Defence to take out security camera wiring.
'William Rees-Mogg was an IRA target and several of the doors in the house are solid steel,' she explained.
'When we moved in, in 2015, wiring was still in all the rooms for security because there had been cameras in each room. My husband knows people in the Ministry of Defence and he called them in and got them to take it all out.'
Dr Leaman-Grey explained that she and her husband, both in their sixties, no longer need a house as big as the Old Rectory.
'We wanted to buy something that would be our home and we’ve got lots of children and grandchildren, and we thought we’d need this massive house,' she said.
'We need a big house - but not quite this big.'
The couple bought the house from Tom Alexander, Chief Executive of Orange and T-Mobile and founder of Virgin Mobile, who owned the house for 20 years.
The Georgian property has six bath and shower rooms alongside its eight bedrooms, including a number with enviable free-standing baths
The wood-panelled dining room features flagstone flooring. Some of the property is said to have been a medieval priest's house
Irish band the Corrs stayed in the impressive home for a year after their career slowed down, renting the house from mobile giant Tom Alexander (the band, pictured in 1999 at the Brit Awards)
The mobile tycoon kept his car collection in the 'absolutely massive' garage attached to the house, complete with underfloor heating and spotlights.
Mr Alexander had rented the house to Irish band the Corrs for a year - and Dr Leaman-Grey said she still receives their post.
Mr Rees-Mogg, former Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, has positively described his upbringing in the quaint English village.
The property features formal and informal reception rooms for guests and can seat up to 12 for dinner
