Crime & Safety
Film producer selling £6.5m mansion in £15m Cotswolds pad move
Jemima Goldsmith is selling her long-time home almost three decades after she bought it while married to cricketer-turned-politician Mr Imran Khan.
The 52-year-old screenwriter and producer is the daughter of the late financier Sir James Goldsmith and Lady Annabel Goldsmith.
She has become a prominent figure in British public life in her own right, balancing work in film and television with high-profile philanthropic and political interests.
READ MORE: TV legend’s daughter selling £3.95m Oxfordshire mansion with swimming pool
Her move comes as she prepares for a new chapter in her personal life, with plans to divide more of her time between Switzerland and the Cotswolds, according to the Daily Mail.
Friends say she now intends to spend increasing periods at her £15 million Cotswolds manor house, strengthening her existing links to the region and its close-knit rural communities.
The West London property, known as Britannia Studios, was purchased by Ms Goldsmith in 1999 when she was heavily pregnant with her second son.
She was also still married to Mr Khan, who later became prime minister of Pakistan before being jailed on corruption charges.
READ MORE: Pop legend’s £5.25m Oxfordshire riverside mansion taken off the market
The five-bedroom house, set on the Chelsea–Fulham border, has served for nearly 30 years as a busy family base for her children and a discreet meeting place for A‑list actors, political heavyweights and cultural figures.
The distinctive home is now on the market for £6.5 million, with those close to Ms Goldsmith suggesting that “empty nest” feelings played a part in her decision once her sons and stepdaughter moved out.
Ms Goldsmith confirmed she had finally chosen to sell, saying that after almost three decades in the property and with her children having left home, she felt the time was right to move on.
Associates describe her decision as driven by a desire for a fresh start as she prepares to marry billionaire financier Mr Cameron O’Reilly, whose family has longstanding links to Ireland and international business.
READ MORE: Daughter of Rolling Stones rock legend sells £3.5m Cotswolds mansion
The property itself has often been compared by visitors to a New York loft rather than a conventional London family house, with a 49ft open-plan kitchen, dining and sitting area at its core.
Inside, the interiors have been styled with a mix of “faded grandeur” and relaxed bohemian touches, reflecting Ms Goldsmith’s preference for an informal but elegant family setting.
Friends suggest her emotional attachment to Britannia Studios weakened following the death of her mother, Lady Annabel, in October at the age of 91.
They say the loss marked a natural turning point and contributed to her feeling that the house now belonged more to a past chapter of her life than to the future she is planning.
The Cotswold Home in Burford celebrated the special day on May 12 by giving gifts to its nurses, past and present.
International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
The date acknowledges the contribution nurses make to society, raises the profile of nursing, and recognises the increasing challenges in the everyday environment.
Michelle Francis, head of nursing at Elizabeth Finn Homes, visited The Cotswold Home with cards and gift hampers for the nurses to say thank you for their dedication.
This also included former nurses among the home’s current residents.
Ms Francis said: “It was an absolute pleasure to thank our nursing teams and a great opportunity for them to take time out from their busy day and know that they are much appreciated.
“Of equal importance are former nurses whose service is not forgotten.”
At the Cotswold Home, nursing is an integral part of the care on offer, with registered nurses on hand 24 hours a day as part of the staff team.
The Cotswold Home, built in traditional Cotswold style, is in Bradwell Village, just outside Burford.
The home is part of the Elizabeth Finn Homes group and provides 51 en-suite rooms, which include residential and nursing care.
The care home also has extensive, landscaped gardens and newly refurbished communal rooms.
Across care homes, hospitals, schools, and the community, there are more than 850,000 nurses, midwives and nursing associates registered to practice in the UK according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
The city of Oxford has emerged as the UK’s best city for bookshops.
A whopping 60 percent of their survey respondents said Oxford’s literary scene is either ‘good’ or ‘amazing’.
Oxford is the birthplace of Blackwell’s, an academic bookseller that now has 18 branches across the country.
Blackwell’s opened in Broad Street in 1879 and is now considered a landmark of the city.
Its famous Norrington Room is the single largest room selling books in the world, with 5km worth of shelving holding more than 160,000 volumes.
A new secondhand bookshop has recently opened in Oxford city centre.
Scott Moynihan, his partner Sumner Braund, Mehdi Bensenane and his partner Helen Flatley have opened Barker & Co Booksellers at Golden Cross, off Cornmarket, which also features a Pizza Express and other shops and a cafe.
That’s far from the only place you can browse books in Oxford, though.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire school among 103 to get funding boost for building repairs
The Time Out awards also highlight Gulp Fiction, Arcadia, and Daunt Books in Summertown as other bookshops central to the crowning of Oxford as the book capital.
As for the rest of the city’s cultural offerings, the survey revealed 77 per cent of locals said that it’s great for art, 69 percent agreed that it’s good for movies and 76 per cent said it was historic.
Findings from the South Western Railway research has also revealed that the most popular genre for stories set in Oxford is fantasy, such as Pullman’s The Golden Compass or Deborah Harkness’s A Discovery of Witches.
The Sweet Shop Burford, located on the hilly High Street in the town, has been open since 2002.
While the Burford store is 24 years old, the company behind it established its very first store in nearby Broadway back in 1986.
Reviews are favourable for the longstanding confectionery store, with it being praised for its classic feel.
READ MORE: Met Office issue warning as ‘historic’ heatwave hits the UK
“Old school sweet shop with glass jars, small candies, and some more commercial items,” said one customer on Tripadvisor.
“It is small, but there is a lot in here – enough to satisfy even the most discerning sweet tooth.
“We entered for a small sweet and ended up taking away quite a sack of treats!”
Another added: “We picked up some lovely Christmas presents in this traditional sweet shop.
“Lots of choice and prices very reasonable. Glad I don’t live too near!”
READ MORE: We tried the £95 seafood platter at this cosy Cotswolds pub
A third said: “An unexpected pleasure awaited me as I enjoyed browsing all the delicious food that was beautifully displayed. Fresh and special!”
Having been open as usual earlier this year, The Sweet Shop is currently closed for renovations.
It is expected that the popular spot will reopen later this year in the summer, but no exact reopening date has yet been given.
A sign displayed in the window says: “Customer notice. We are now closed for refurbishment.
“We look forward to welcoming you back in the summer. Thank you!”
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