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Ben Kingsley’s 19th Century England Home is Every Retrophiliac’s Dream

Ben Kingsley is one of the most well-known faces in Hollywood who has defined the role of a villain in movies. His facial expression and acting skills set him apart from the rest when it comes to playing the role of an ‘evil’ leader on the big screen. In 2002, Sir Ben was awarded a prestigious knight’s title in the living room of his own lavish Spelsbury mansion, based in Oxfordshire.

Ben is a different man outside the roles he plays. When he’s not acting, he prefers to enjoy some peace and quiet in a hideaway home away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. His Spelsbury home provides him with a perfect sanctuary with its blend of modern and ancient architecture.

Ben’s itinerant activities as an actor make him stay away from this lovely property often. The actor’s nomadic lifestyle inspired him to build this house in the first place because he often gets homesick when he is in America shooting movies.

The first time he saw the house was in 1995, and he brought architect Michael Reardon to have a look. Reardon told the actor that the property is idiosyncratic and a true definition of beauty. The mid-19th-century building is elegant and built close to a church, which made it ideal for Kingsley.

Reardon renovated the house to suit the unpretentious nature of Ben but managed to preserve some of its antique elements to give the home an old-school vibe.  They created the house to look more ancient than it was before to give it that 19th-century charm that is rare in England.

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