Boris Johnson wins battle for revamp of £4 million home to build boot room

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Boris Johnson has been granted planning permission for a revamp of his multimillion-pound Grade II listed manor in Oxfordshire that can see a single-storey extension initially constructed for servants demolished to make method for a boot room.

The former prime minister desires to modernise the nine-bedroom Brightwell Manor, stated to be price round £4m, for the “democratic age where families no longer rely on live-in staff”.

Mr Johnson and his spouse Carrie, who’ve used nannies up to now, additionally plan to build a brick pillar loggia and prolong the southern patio, planning paperwork present.

The couple, who tied the knot in 2021 and moved into the property final summer season, additionally plan to build a brand new gated entrance to the manor, positioned within the village of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell in Oxfordshire, boasting unique Tudor and Georgian options because it was constructed over the 2 durations.

It is believed that within the 1150s, the Norman King Stephen constructed a moated siege fort on the positioning the place the manor home now stands. According to a now-closed gross sales itemizing, the fort “was delivered up to Duke Henry after the Civil War and [was] probably promptly demolished”.

The coronary heart of the home, which incorporates the sitting room, household room and bed room suite, is believed to date again to 1605. The property initially included “extensive arable farmland and further properties”, however these had been bought in 1914.

The entrance of the manor was added in direction of the tip of the 18^th century, bringing Georgian traits with it. The itemizing stated: “Constructed of red brick with blue brick headers, tall sash windows, a centrally placed entrance door with elegant fanlight and a parapet concealing the tiled roof. The annex and kitchen were built in the 1950s, in keeping with the Georgian character of the house.

The most well-known person who once called Brightwell Manor home was the Reverend Dr William Ralph Inge, a theologian who was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature three times, and who purchased the home in 1933. He was the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral and Knight Commander of the Victorian Order.

Buildings are listed when they are of special architectural or historic interest and considered to be of national importance and therefore worth protecting, according to Historic England.

There are extra controls over what changes can be made to a listed building’s interior and exterior and owners need to apply for listed building consent for most types of work that affect the “special architectural or historic interest” of their home.

South Oxfordshire district council stated it granted planning permission  to Mr Johnson, who served because the Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip earlier than standing down in June final 12 months forward of a recall petition following a slew of scandals throughout his time as prime minister, as a result of the proposed works “safeguards the historic and architectural interest and setting of the Grade II listed building.”