Broome Hall

The house was built about 1830 for the printer-politician and investor Andrew Spottiswoode, and extended in the late 19th century for Sir Alexander Brown, 1st Baronet. It was also home from 1865 to the international merchant-politician Frederick Pennington (died 1914) and his suffragette wife, Margaret. ==20th century==

In the Second World War, it served as headquarters of Canadian forces in Britain. Its gravel drive was reinforced with concrete to withstand the weight of tanks. The actor Oliver Reed bought the 56-bedroom property in 1971 and became the so-called "Master of Broome Hall" for eight years. The naked wrestling scene with Reed and Alan Bates in Ken Russell's 1969 film Women in Love is said to have been filmed there. Reed was banned from his local pub there for descending a chimney naked and shouting out: "Ho! Ho! Ho! I'm Santa Claus." According to an estate agent's negotiator, Reed buried the jewellery collection of a former girlfriend in the grounds where it still lies. The house was then bought by a property developer who converted it into flats. It was assessed and recognised as a Grade II-listed building in 1987. ==References==