Be afraid, this Halloween, be very afraid of this house....afraid of missing out on it, because this Art Deco residence in Purley comes with a nice bit of acting superstar history.
Peter Cushing is probably best known these days for his role as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: A New Hope, and recent controversy around the use of AI as his likeness was then used in a subsequent Star Wars film Rogue One — one of his old friends is now suing Disney. But that aside, Cushing was one of the biggest stars of his era while chiefly working in the horror genre, most famously for British studio, Hammer.
Whether its The Curse of Frankenstein, Blood of Dracula, The Abominable Snowman, or our personal favourite, The Creeping Flesh, you can be sure people will be re-watching his films this Halloween as they inevitably do every year.
But this year is different, because it coincides with Cushing’s childhood home being on the market, meaning you could actually move into the spaces were he spent his formative years.
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The three bedroom place in Purley — which is on the market for £995k with Hamptons — was built by the Cushing family in 1926. Peter was 13 at the time and he remained living there until he was 26 when he moved to Hollywood and appeared in his first film, The Man in the Iron Mask (1939).
Paul Camlett, current owner of the three-bedroom home in Purley says, “We lovingly restored the property, which took a painstaking two years and we held onto many of the original details. The doors and handles remain, and I liked the idea of preserving parts of the house that Peter Cushing would have touched. We also restored the green tiled fireplace in what was originally the dining room which we now use as a TV room.
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“We also kept the servants' bell as Peter referred to the maid being clumsy in his autobiography — and thought it was a nice touch to preserve that piece of history. The servant’s bell is in what was the billiards room which is now the dining room.
“Last year, we were contacted by the Open House Festival and participated, welcoming around 40 visitors — some interested in the architectural significance, others die-hard Peter Cushing fans.”
A blue plaque bearing Cushing’s name is on the outside of the building — awarded by English Heritage in 2018 — making this a must for fans.
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"The Art Deco architectural style of the house initially captured our interest — the fact that Peter Cushing had once lived here certainly made the property and its history more intriguing,” says Mr Camlett.
“If truth be told we were specifically drawn to the big flat garden; I’ve always wanted a big flat garden. The house is on a hill, but the garden is flat and had been originally flattened in the 1920s for a tennis court. Learning about the 1920s, apparently tennis tournaments were a mark of society. Tennis tournaments often culminated in elegant cocktail soirées for the ladies, whilst gentlemen retired to billiard rooms, it made me think: this house was once special, it can be special once again.”
The property is entered via a welcoming hallway that leads through to a well-equipped kitchen with a butlers sink and a spacious larder. To the rear of the house is a separate sitting room with that stunning feature fireplace in keeping with the Art Deco stylings plus bay windows with access to the rear patio via doors.
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There is also a light double reception room offering a second feature fireplace and another bay window with patio doors. It is set up as a dining room open to the reception and is ideal for entertaining.
Upstairs are three well proportioned double bedrooms and a fourth room currently used as study but which could also utilised as a fourth bedroom. There is also a family bathroom offering a bath and separate wet room area. The house also includes a basement that spans the majority of the downstairs footprint.
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The house is chain-free as the owners are moving abroad. Says Mr Camlett, “We love this house, making our decision to move to Australia is gut-wrenching. If we were staying in the UK, we'd never leave it – it’s a wonderful house and it's been a privilege to be custodians of this piece of cinematic and architectural history."
