It is one of the grandest country estates in Britain, with a history of aristocracy, celebrity, and scandal.
And one lucky renter could live amidst the splendours of the Cliveden Estate in Berkshire for the distinctly un-princely sum of £1,600pcm.
This is around half the average central London rent, which hit more than £3,000 for the first time last month, according to Rightmove.
Admittedly £1,600 will not get you the main house, a Grade I-listed Italianate mansion.
But it will pay for an extremely pretty two-bedroom cottage-style gatehouse, which has been put up for rent by the National Trust.
As well as its own private garden Windsor Lodge comes with a free tenant’s pass, allowing access to Cliveden’s spectacular grounds, set beside the River Thames, four miles north east of Maidenhead.
“Windsor Lodge provides a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a hybrid of urban and countryside living,” said James Taylor, Cliveden’s estate manager:
“It would appeal to anyone who would like easy access to London — the Elizabeth Line is two miles away at Taplow.
“Plus, Cliveden’s four hundred acres of formal and informal gardens, woodland and riverside walks are on the doorstep.”
The current Cliveden House was built in 1851 for the Duke of Sutherland. In 1893 it was sold to the American millionaire William Waldorf Astor. The and his family entertained on a grand scale, inviting movie stars, world leaders, writers, aristocrats, and to spend weekends at their country pile.
The estate was at the centre of a national scandal thanks to an early tenant. London osteopath Stephen Ward was permitted to rent a cottage on the estate in the 1950s. He held parties of his own, and his guests included call girls Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davis.
Keeler first met the cabinet minister John Profumo, who was visiting the Astors, at the Cliveden swimming pool.
Profumo later denied their affair in the House of Commons — and was found to be lying.
When it then emerged Keeler was also involved with a Russian naval attaché the ensuing scandal over national security contributed to the Conservative Party’s defeat in the 1964 election.
The National Trust was given the Cliveden Estate in the 1940s, on the condition that the Astors could remain in residence.
The last family member left 1966 and the house is now a luxury hotel — rooms start at £545 per night in February. But the future resident of Windsor Lodge will have access to Cliveden’s extensive woodland walks and its series of themed gardens — including a Japanese water garden (complete with topiary), a rose garden, and an Italian-style topiary garden.
There is also a maze, sculpture collection, woodland trails, and boats for hire.
According to new research from estate agent Hamptons renters are fleeing London at the fastest rate for a decade.
Last year 40 per cent of tenants who were moving home chose to leave the capital, up from 28 per cent 10 years ago.
Most of the 90,000 tenants who moved on chose to rent in the Home Counties.
