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The family home of Sir Laurence Olivier is now on the market after more than 60 years.
In the early 1960s, the British stage legend and his wife, actress Dame Joan Plowright, were looking for a retreat from the hustle and bustle from London.
Although they had initially purchased an Elizabethan farmhouse in the Sussex downs for her parents to reside in, they soon fell in love with the property themselves.
Over the next 63 years the home – now known as The Malthouse – would bear witness to significant moments in the family’s life, as well as welcome a string of famous guests.
As estate agent Toby Brown, who is selling the £2,000,000 West Sussex property explained: ‘If only the walls could talk…’
At the time that the Olivier’s purchased the home, they were newly married after having met during rehearsals for John Osborne’s The Entertainer at The Royal Court Theatre in the West End.
By that time, Sir Laurence was a household name, having already filmed Henry V, Richard III and Hamlet, a project for which he won three of his four Oscars.
Meanwhile, Dame Joan, who won a Tony for best actress for A Taste of Honey the year they married in 1961, was already a star in her own right after having gained recognition for playing Beatie Bryant in Arnold Wesker’s Roots.
A year after the couple met they were married, later welcoming three children – son Richard and daughters Tamsin and Julie Kate. One was even born in the home.
‘It was very much a turning point in Olivier’s life. He met Joan Plowright when they were working together. He had a place in London and Brighton, but they were looking for somewhere that was a retreat from the lights and bustle of London, and they found this place,’ Brown told Metro.
‘They originally bought it for her parents to reside in but soon after they started buying more of the land around it and they moved in. It was a real escape and haven from their mad theatrical life.’
‘It really is a secret of a house. It is quite unassuming as you go to it. It’s off a dirt track and is a secret that keeps on giving as soon as you arrive,’ he added.
The Malthouse was originally two small cottages, farming malt and selling it to trading vessels on the nearby River Adur.
Extending the house in the 1980s to accommodate their growing family, the couple spent several years developing and caring for the 4 ½ acres. It now encompasses seven bedrooms and five bathrooms.
The first-floor master bedroom, known as The View, features a balcony and offers a sweeping panorama of the surrounding countryside.
Other stand-out features of the 5,000 square feet property include an apple orchard, a swimming pool and tennis court, as well as a self-contained yoga and art studio. Sir Mark Rylance was also a regular on the tennis court over the years as he took on Richard.
‘It’s not far from London, under an hour, but it is seemingly completely miles and miles away when you get there. There’s nothing surrounding the house at all apart from acres of beautiful, luscious landscape,’ Brown detailed.
One of the favourite rooms for the family is the cosy dining room, complete with dark beamed panelling and a roaring fireplace.
Since meeting the Olivier’s, Brown has been told a string of vignettes about the home and cherished memories that unfolded there.
One particularly amusing one happened during a visit from Paul Newman, who arrived with a bottle of 1944 Claret that was briefly enjoyed by a group before it quickly expired as is typical of vintage wines.
‘I love that story… just thinking about the star of theatre and film of a generation sat sipping wine in this cosy little Shakespeare room,’ Brown shared.
During Sir Laurence’s 80th birthday party in 1987, which was held at the home, guests including the Richardsons, Redgraves, Mills and Wagners descended upon the property to celebrate the acting legend.
Reflecting on the legends who have passed through the home, Brown remarked: ‘The whole dynasty of great acting families has been there.’
The next generation also came together, albeit more competitively in later years, with Sir Mark Rylance regularly taking on Richard in a game of tennis on the property.
With Sir Laurence and Dame Joan learning lines for their award-winning stage and screen projects on the property, he was also joined there by Sir Ian McKellan when they rehearsed The Scottish Play. A play directed by Richard (Time and the Conways) which starred Dame Joan and her daughters was also rehearsed here.
Although the home was a private retreat for the family, in 2017 it was turned into the set for Roger Michells’ documentary Nothing like a Dame – which documented conversations between actresses Dame Joan, Dame Eileen Atkins, Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith, interspersed with scenes from their careers on film and stage.
This film would also mark Dame Joan’s final film appearance.
Sir Laurence died in his sleep at the property in 1989. After moving into retirement home Denville Hall last year, Dame Joan died aged 95 in January 2025.
‘It was really the private theatre that their whole lives evolved within,’ Brown said of the home.
Speaking about its biggest selling point, he explained: ‘Someone can buy a slice of history that is Laurence Olivier’s 60-year home.
‘I think the quietness of the place also…if you want to buy something and escape from the world a little bit, this is definitely a place for you. It’s quite remote but you’re actually not that far away from London. There is a great quietness, and you can hear the birdsong and wind whistling through willow trees. I think that was the biggest thing for Sir Laurence and Dame Joan – they could just escape the world there. Not many people live in a house for that amount of time which says a lot.’
‘I suspect it won’t be sold again for a long time as it is such a special place,’ he added.
Brown also said that he and the family ‘would love it to go to someone theatrical or in the arts who would appreciate who Sir Laurence and Dame Joan were and continue their legacy’.
This weekend there will be two Open House Viewings – on April 26 and 27 from 10am until 3pm. Qualified private appointments can also be arranged.
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