Mary Berry’s impressively long career in cooking reached its zenith this decade with her role as a judge on the infamous Great British Bake Off. Since then interest in the octogenarian has increased, particularly in regards to her kitchen and home life. Here is a look back at Mary Berry’s House History…

South Lawn, Bath

Mary Berry grew up in South Lawn, an imposing Victorian build in the Lansdown area just outside Bath. In her autobiography Mary describes her war-era upbringing in the house, detailing how the large lawned areas in the back garden were transformed into a ‘model of self-sufficiency’, where they grew fruit, vegetables, kept pigs for slaughter and goats for their milk. 

Today the four-storey house has been split down the middle and turned into two semi-detached homes – giving an idea of just how big the house was when Berry lived there. Today the cost of just one half of the building is estimated to be roughly £1.6 million. 

The Red House, Buckinghamshire

In 1970 Berry and her husband Paul bought a six bedroom property in Buckinghamshire. Known as the Red House, the house featured a 28ft kitchen, sash windows, original fireplaces and manicured gardens. Set over three floors, Mary Berry lived in the home for nearly 20 years before upgrading to a larger property on the otherwise of the road. The move occurred when Berry’s neighbours were discussing the desire to downsize, while Mary and her family wished to upgrade. Together they decided to swap properties, with Mary Berry moving into Watercroft.

Watercroft, Buckinghamshire

Mary lived in Watercroft from 1988 until 2017 and was the scene for many of her television cookery shows. The famous kitchen was designed by Mike Taylor and features a 4-oven AGA and ‘walk-in’ fridge. See more of this house in this previous post.

Old Manse, Devon

As well as their Buckinghamshire property Mary Berry and her family owned a three-storey four-bedroom holiday home in Devon, which they purchased in 2006 until selling up in 2015 for £800,000. Old Manse, as it was known, came with the requisite AGA in the kitchen, a bay-fronted sitting room and a two car garage. The house included a number of period features including high ceilings, picture rails and original fireplaces.

Current Home, Henley

Berry’s most recent residential move came in 2017 when she and her husband decided to ‘downsize’ from their home in Penn to a grade-listed property in Henley. Though this home has four bedrooms (two fewer than their previous home) it does include a separate cottage. The property also comes with a tennis court, conservatory, indoor pool, gym, double garage, and a master suite with an adjacent dressing room and ensuite. When discussing her move Berry remarked her excitement at being ‘closer to Waitrose’.

image: google maps