Frankly, my dear, it's worth a damn: Gone With The Wind actress Vivien Leigh's country retreat where her ashes were scattered goes on sale for £3.5 million
- Country estate, which includes bluebell wood, walled garden and gardener's cottage, bought by the actress in 1961
- She used the estate to get away from London, spending hours in the garden and receiving many famous guests
- On the market for around £3.5million, estate agents expect a surge in interest because of the famous former-resident
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The former country home of one of Hollywood's most famous actresses has gone on the market for £3.5million.
Tickerage Mill, near Uckfield, East Sussex, was bought by Vivien Leigh for just £20,000 in 1961 and, after she died of tuberculosis in 1967, her ashes were scattered on the pond of the country estate.
Estate agents say interest in the property has soared since its current owners, Ken and Honer Hoggins, decided to sell up.
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Tickerage Mill, the former country home of actress Vivien Leigh, has gone on the market and is expected to sell for around £3.5million
Leigh is said to have welcomed a number of famous people to the property, including former husband Laurence Olivier, Princess Margaret, John Gielgud, John Merivale and Winston Churchill
Leigh pictured at the property (left) and in 1967 with Canadian actor John Merivale, who was her companion in her final years
The Grade II listed five-bedroom mansion comes with an ancient bluebell wood, a walled-garden and a separate gardener's cottage.
Leigh bought bought the property following her divorce from Laurence Olivier in 1960 and used it as a country hideaway from life in London.
She lived in the house at a time she was in a relationship with Canadian actor John Merivale, who helped her during her struggle with depression from 1960 until her death in 1967.
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ShareLeigh was distraught following her break-up from Olivier and was quoted by a friend as having said she'd 'rather have lived a short life with Larry [her name for Olivier] than face a long one without him.'
But she found solace in the arms of Merivale, who knew of her condition and is said to have promised Olivier he would look after her.
It is believed the property welcomed a number of famous guests during her time there, including Princess Margaret, John Gielgud, Winston Churchill.
Leigh's ashes were scattered over the property's pond following her death at the age of 53 in 1967 after she fell ill during rehearsals for a play in the West End
The property's present owners, Ken and Honor Hoggins, have lived in the house since 2005 and have tried to maintain Leigh's influence on the home and garden
Estate agents say the property's tucked away location, but relative proximity to London, would have attracted huge interest even without the link to Leigh
One of the house's walls is covered in wisteria and Leigh is said to have ensured that many of the flowers there in her time were white when in bloom, her favourite colour
Leigh's friend, Radie Harris, wrote of her time there time: 'Vivien fell in love with [the house] at first sight.
'Her stamp was everywhere - in her utterly feminine blue bedroom and dressing room; her library of well-stacked and well-thumbed books; her beautifully appointed drawing room with her silver-framed photographs of friends from all over the world; her collection of snuff boxes and Staffordshire and Spode china.
'It was in her garden that she found her happiest moments and relaxation from many tensions. No matter how late she went to bed, she was up at six o'clock in the morning planting or replanting shrubs, flowers, and plants.'
It is believed she positioned a bench in the garden where she could catch the last rays of sunlight before sunset.
A number of features of the house, including the large oriel window overlooking the pond, were added by artist Richard Wyndham, who bought the estate in the 1920s
The estate attached to the Grade II listed mansion includes an ancient bluebell wood, which estate agents say could be sold separately
Leigh in her most famous role as Scarlett O'Hara with Clarke Gable in the 1939 classic Gone With The Wind
Sophie Wysock-Wright of Savills Estate Agents said: 'It's a unique property in itself, even without the Vivien Leigh link. Mills are increasingly hard to find, especially one such as this which is so tucked away but at the same time so accessible to so many places.
'We have received a lot of interest, obviously because of the Vivien Leigh nostalgia, but also from people who, like her, want a real retreat, somewhere that's completely tucked away in the countryside.'
Leigh is just one of a number of famous owners of the property, including artist Richard Wyndham, who purchased the property in the 1920s and soon added his own artist’s studio.
Sir Ronald Armstrong Jones - father of Princess Margaret's husband Lord Snowdon - and Kenneth Letts, the manufacturer of Letts Diaries, were also previous residents.
A marble fireplace in the house's master bedroom is one of the mementos of Leigh time there, and she had it shipped over from Venice.
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