Jamie Oliver’s quiet Essex village life where average homes costs …
If you’ve lived in Essex for any amount of time, it’s quite possible that you’ve bumped into one of the many celebrities who live in our excellent county. The brilliant mixture of countryside and urban environments means that Essex has plenty of attractive features.
With miles of picturesque coastlines, acres of green countryside as well as vibrant and diverse residential areas, it’s no surprise that people want to live here. Along with all of that, our close proximity to London makes many of our cities, towns and villages ideal locations for commuters to set up at properties cheaper than they could afford within the M25.
Celebrity TV chef Jamie Oliver is just one of a number of celebs who lives in Essex. The 48-year-old, who rose to fame with his 1999 TV series The Naked Chef, is known for creating simple and delicious recipes but calls a small Essex village his home.
After the launch of his BBC show, Jamie then began a campaign, Feed Me Better, which aimed to introduce healthier food to school children – it was a campaign backed by the Government. He was the owner of restaurant chain, Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, which opened in 2008 but has since gone into administration.
The chef, who was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for “services to the hospitality industry”, has managed to amass an impressive 9.5 million followers on Instagram.
Having been born in Clavering, Jamie has remained true to his roots and now lives just 30 minutes away from his birthplace in the village of Finchingfield. The village is close to Braintree and is most known for being one of the most picturesque locations in England.
There are stunning views in Finchingfield with colourful cottages, a traditional windmill and village green, as well as a cute duck pond. He lives in a Grade-I listed mansion, known as Spains Hall, which is said to be worth an incredible £6 million and dates back to 1570.
The traditional style mill in Finchingfield (Image: Jeff Harvey)
The Express reports that the UK’s largest property portal, Rightmove, says homes in Finchingfield had an overall average price of £537,889 over the last year. The majority of sales in Finchingfield during the last year were detached properties, selling for an average price of £690,000.
Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £470,333, with terraced properties fetching £435,000. Overall, sold prices in Finchingfield over the last year were eight percent up on the previous year and three percent down on the 2019 peak of £553,000.
The village is said to have a population of just under 1,500 people. Jamie Oliver might be the most famous current resident, but author Dodie Smith – whose books include The Hundred and One Dalmations – also lived and was buried there.