- The food writer recalled hiding in the cellar of the house during WWII blackouts
Baking legend Dame Mary Berry‘s childhood home has been put on the market for a whopping £2.8million.
The former Great British Bake Off judge, now aged 88, lived at South Lawn in Bath from the age of six until 15.
She described living there as ‘wonderful’ but also recalled hiding in the cellar during blackouts in the Second World War.
After she and her family moved out in 1950, the house was later divided into two semi-detached homes.
The one which is now for sale and has the original name has changed hands only twice since.
The current owners have lived there for more than three decades but are now downsizing and selling the six-bedroom house with estate agents Savills.
While living there, Dame Mary’s family turned the substantial gardens over to grow fruit and vegetables and keep animals in the years of rationing.
The food writer and chef learnt to bake at Bath High School and then studied catering at Bath College of Domestic Science before moving to France age 22 to study at the Cordon Bleu culinary school.
The house is unlisted and has been extended significantly in the past. It now has 4,250 sq ft of living space over four floors.
There is an entrance hall, kitchen, dining room, and drawing room on the ground floor, with a sitting room, utility, cellar and store rooms below at garden level.
Upstairs there is six bedrooms, three bathrooms and two WCs across the top two floors.
Outside there is a gravel driveway, off-street parking and a garage and a rear garden mostly laid to lawn with a large patio and a heated swimming pool.
Alistair Heather, from Savills, who are selling the property, said: ‘South Lawn is a magnificent example of a Victorian family home. Set within large gardens and arranged over four storeys, it is as grand as it is elegant and beautiful.
‘Inside it has a similarly impressive, yet warm and comfortable feel – indeed from the moment you step through the door, it is clear that South Lawn is a well-loved family home.
‘With period character in abundance, including high ceilings, sash windows, arched doorways and a particularly lovely staircase, it has been significantly extended in recent decades, with a large two-storey extension to the rear, and a swimming pool and garage.
‘College Road is a coveted location for families, with two of the most renowned schools in the city, within a stone’s throw.
‘Homes here rarely become available and so this Victorian showstopper could well generate quite a stir.’
