Cate Blanchett, the Oscar-winning Australian actress, has traded the beach for the British countryside, settling in a historic manor house in Crowborough, East Sussex. The property, named Highwell House, was purchased by Blanchett and her husband, playwright Andrew Upton, in 2015 for an estimated £5 million.
The seven-bedroom mansion, set within 13 acres of secluded grounds, was once home to Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Doctor Who actor Tom Baker. However, before the Blanchett family's renovation, the manor had been abandoned for at least a decade and was named one of Britain's creepiest abandoned houses. Eerie photos from before the renovations show debris, rotting walls, and broken furniture, with unmade beds and empty jars left as if the previous owners departed in haste.
Blanchett and Upton, who have four children, previously owned properties worldwide, including a waterfront mansion in Sydney and an island retreat in Vanuatu. They sold their last Sydney home in 2020, focusing on their life in Sussex. In 2021, Blanchett won planning permission to add a studio and meditation room to the estate, providing a quiet retreat from her Hollywood career.
Crowborough, located near Ashdown Forest—the inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood—is in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Despite its rural setting, the town is well-connected, with Brighton and London about 90 minutes away. The local property market has seen significant growth, with average house prices rising 9% in the past year to £508,748, and the most expensive current listing being a seven-bedroom eco-mansion at £3.9 million.
