Sherlock star ‘to build near Isle of Wight beauty spot’
SHERLOCK star Benedict Cumberbatch had to run up the white flag when he tried to build a 160 sq ft shed in the back garden of his £2.7 million threestorey London house following neighbours’ objections.
So let’s hope he has better luck with his next contruction plan.
For I can disclose the 42-year-old Old Harrovian and his wife Sophie appear to have found the perfect place to build a country retreat on the Isle of Wight, the island on which they married on Valentine’s Day three years ago.
The couple, who have two young sons Christopher, three, and one-year-old Hal, have strong family ties to the area.
‘They’ve decided to build their own house,’ I’m told.
‘The intention is to build it on the Dunsbury estate, which is owned by the Seely family. They’re going through plans.’
One potential sticking point is the area they are looking to build in appears to be a stone’s throw from the National Trust’s picturesque Mottistone Estate.
Theatre director Sophie, 40, is related to the Seely clan. Her greatgreat-grandfather Jack Seely was a deputy-lieutenant for the island, and owned several farms and villages, including Mottistone on the west coast.
Jack, who had been Secretary of State for War, led one of the last ever cavalry charges, at the Battle of Moreuil Wood in 1918.
The only former Cabinet minister to go to the front in 1914, he was subsequently ennobled, taking his title — Mottistone — from one of the family properties.
Sophie’s mother lives on the island, as do several Seelys, including their kinsman Bob Seely, the Isle of Wight’s Tory MP.
Benedict and his wife frequently return to the island, notably for Christopher’s christening, held in the same church — opposite the National Trust’s Mottistone Manor — as their wedding, and the actor’s favourite pub is reputedly the 400-year-old Sun Inn in tiny nearby hamlet of Hulverstone.