Children adore it, but grown-ups go crazy!
CHARLIE FREEMAN is an actor, musician and artist. He says:
EVERY visitor immediately wants to whizz down my steel slide and who can blame them? I did exactly the same thing when I viewed the property three years ago and was amazed how it instantly brought out the child in me.
The top of the slide sits beneath a trap door in the floor of the master bedroom and transports you down to the sitting room below.
The woman I bought the house from was an artist with a real sense of fun. She told me one estate agent did herself a mischief while demonstrating it to a prospective buyer.
It’s quite a size and would look big in a kids’ playground. I always warn friends to be careful because you come down at quite a pace.
There isn’t a mat at the bottom, you’re supposed to just concentrate on what you’re doing and land on your feet. But after a few tipples at a party nobody’s interested in my advice. One friend suffered a broken coccyx after landing awkwardly and there have been a couple of split foreheads that needed stitching.
But generally the slide is the most enormous fun. I’ve spent the past year renovating the house and, when it’s finished, I’ll throw a party for my family, including nieces and nephews, who will be waiting patiently to play on the slide.
I have lots of godchildren and they love it. But the grown-ups have as much fun and I love seeing their joy when they spot it.
It adds a real energy to my home, which spans 4,000 sq ft across four floors, including a basement that I’m converting into a cinema, spa and music recording studio.
My home has many great features, but the slide is the biggest talking — and laughing — point.