Doctor Who Blink location house in Wales goes on sale for £2million

A historic country manor where Doctor Who was filmed has been restored to its former glory and has gone up for sale for £2million.

The 170-year-old Fields Manor, near Newport in South Wales, featured prominently in the classic 2007 episode, Blink, starring David Tennant as the Doctor, and Carey Mulligan as Sally Sparrow.

It served as Wester Drumlins – a spooky old house that is invaded by the Weeping Angels, who are a race of ‘quantum-locked’ predatory creatures who appear as statues which get closer to their victim every time they blink.

Fields Manor was in a dilapidated state when award-winning developer Paul Priestley acquired it.

The crumbling Grade II-listed house had cracked window panes and invading pigeons and tree roots, but his company worked painstakingly to make sure the heritage of the building was preserved in the restoration.

It is now a stunning six-bedroom home with a wealth of period features and modern touches, on the market through estate agents Mr and Mrs Clarke.

The show returned to the house in the middle of the restoration project to film part of another episode, using the house’s cellars in the episode Knock Knock (2017) when Peter Capaldi played the Doctor and David Suchet starred as the Landlord. 

Fields Manor was built in about 1850 on the site of an older farmhouse, of which the original cellars still remain.

It was initially one large house built for William Evans, mayor of Newport, who had become very wealthy as a result of the huge expansion of the city – but was split into two at the turn of the century.

Fields Manor has been used as a film location on several occasions, most notably for Doctor Who.

Mr Priestley worked closely with a conservation officer to restore the property. Each individual piece of the orangery was restored or recreated by craftsmen, reglazed and the floor re-laid with some of the original quarry tiles

It has an imposing Jacobean front door and an octagonal tower entrance leading into the reception hall, which has a walkover glass panel looking down into the cellar.

On the ground floor there is also a kitchen/dining room, drawing room, morning room and the glass orangery.

The first floor has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, with another three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the second floor, as well as a tower room and a balcony.

The cellar can be used as a cinema room, games room or gym, as well as a wine cellar, a laundry room and utility room.

Outside it has easily maintained grounds with mature trees including an ancient oak believed to be the oldest in the area.

There is also a double garage and studio room with underfloor heating.

Mr Priestley said: ‘When we first saw the manor in 2015, it was obvious it was a unique property with huge potential, but getting her back to her former glory was a huge task needing delicate hands.

‘Over 20 years, the house had been crumbling into disrepair under its scaffolding shell.

‘The window panes cracked, flocks of pigeons invaded, tree roots crept through the air vents and sent up shoots through the floorboards.

‘But under the grime and damage, we could see the bones of a beautiful building – the quarry-tiled floor, the flight of stone stairs, the arched doorways, the iron balustrades, the stained glass. This had obviously once been a wonderful home, a grand residence.

‘We worked closely throughout with the local conservation officer to ensure the history and heritage of the building was preserved.

‘Chimneys and gables were taken apart stone by stone and put back together using heritage techniques.

‘We replaced the roof slates, matching the original fish scale design. We scoured the country for period-matched features to find just the right piece. Bathstone features and mullions [vertical divisions between windows] were repaired or replacements hand-carved from scratch.

‘We knew that we couldn’t cut corners when dealing with a house like this. The house had been ravaged by time and neglect. There was a constant need to revise plans. But now it is finished – beautifully restored and full of light and warmth.

‘We felt throughout the whole project that we were working with the house, revealing her underlying beauty while giving her a new lease of life for the new age.’