Broadchurch actress Daphne Neville is selling the extraordinary Cotswolds mill where she lived for more than 60 years, having moved into a specialist care home for entertainment industry veterans.
Neville, 89, who played Charlotte Rampling’s bedridden mother Margery Knight in the ITV crime drama, has placed Grade-II listed Bakers Mill in Gloucestershire on the market for £1.85 million.
The actress and wildlife campaigner raised her three daughters at the secluded property near the market town of Stroud, alongside a succession of tame otters that she would regularly carry to local shops on her shoulders.
Move to Denville Hall
Neville left the family home for Denville Hall, a prestigious north London care home reserved exclusively for those who have spent their careers in showbusiness and the performing arts.
The specialist facility counts stars such as the late actor and director Richard Attenborough, Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs and singer Marianne Faithfull among its notable former residents.
Neville, whose late husband was the newscaster Martyn Lewis, has joined a roster of past residents that also includes EastEnders actress Pat Coombs, theatre director Peter Hall and comedian Stanley Baxter.
Golden Valley estate
Bakers Mill is set in almost 12 acres of the Cotswolds' Golden Valley, situated between Stroud and Cirencester. The historic estate comes with its own private lake, paddocks, woodland and river frontage.
The property also boasts an adjoining former Georgian silk mill, which has been converted into additional accommodation.
Estate agents Knight Frank describe the five-bedroom property as a "magical Cotswold mill house" and a "truly exceptional country retreat in one of the Cotswolds’ most enchanting valleys."
The sales particulars state: "Bakers Mill sits within beautifully landscaped, private grounds and rural land totalling approximately 11.78 acres.
"It is defined by its idyllic position in the ‘Golden Valley’, named by Queen Victoria in 1909 as it is so sheltered the trees keep their autumn leaves.
"The sun rises over the lake, creating an ever-changing and deeply tranquil atmosphere."
Riverside living
The drawing room, dining room and kitchen lead on to a south-facing York-stone terrace positioned above the River Frome, while the bedrooms look across the gardens, lake and wooded valley.
The listing adds: "The property offers a rare blend of character, interest and charm, having lovely views over the lake and enjoying the musical sound of the River Frome flowing by."
The lake features its own jetty and can be used for swimming or rowing, while mallards and kingfishers are among the wildlife commonly found around the grounds.
A home for otters
For decades, the most unusual animals at Bakers Mill were Neville's otters.
The RADA-trained actress, whose screen and radio credits also include The Crown, Casualty, Prime Suspect and The Archers, began keeping the wild animals in 1980.
She adopted her first otter, Bee, after a friend suggested the 18th century converted water mill offered the perfect conditions for the semiaquatic mammals.
Neville eventually raised ten otters at the property. The last, named Rudi, appeared at Kensington Palace as well as on film and television productions including the ITV period drama The Durrells.
The actress previously spoke of her close bond with the Asian small-clawed otter, whom she regularly took to the shops with him on her shoulders, despite the animal having 36 sharp teeth and ownership requiring difficult-to-obtain licensing.
Speaking in 2019, Neville said: "With Rudi, I've had him since he was three weeks old. He thinks I'm his mum. I'm a part of him and he’s a part of me.
"I've shown people you can have incredible bonds with these creatures. Touch wood, we have never had an accident.
"I wouldn't want to be a risk to anyone. All my otters have been immaculately behaved. I wouldn't dream of taking them out otherwise.
"We do shows all over the place. People come from miles away - especially from Australia and New Zealand. They don’t have otters there."
Neville and Rudi even appeared together on Channel 4’s culinary show Come Dine With Me, finishing in second place. The animal later retired to the New Forest Wildlife Park, where he died in 2024.
Showbusiness sanctuary
Denville Hall, where Neville now lives, is a charity-run home with just 36 places. Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Helen Mirren and Daniel Radcliffe are among the prominent actors who support the facility.
The home features a dedicated dementia ward, Jeanne’s Wing, which was named after Baroness Jeanne de Rothschild. The baroness, a friend of Richard Attenborough, left £7 million to the home.
Inside Denville Hall, the walls are lined with old theatre playbills. The home includes an art studio and a salon with dressing-room-style lights, while shelves of films range from Shakespeare adaptations to war films and period dramas.
