This house was Bond’s, James Bond’s: Sir Roger Moore’s old lair is up for sale

Sherwood House, the 1970s residence of Sir Roger Moore and his third wife, Italian actress Luisa Mattioli, is on the market. (Yes, 85-year-old Rodge is quite the ladykiller in real life, too - he's up to number four.)

Located away from spying eyes in peaceful Denham, 20 miles west of central London, it was the actor's home while he was shooting his first three Bond movies, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun and The Spy Who Loved Me.

The capacious 1920s property, with its red-brick facade and tall chimneys set on a pitched roof, is 'a fantastic example of an English country house', say estate agent's Savills.

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It includes five bedrooms, a drawing room, a study, library, gym, conservatory, snooker room, wine cellar and swimming pool. There is also an annexe and guesthouse on the 11-acre site.

The house, which is of a similar age to the actor and Unicef ambassador, has - just like him - been meticulously maintained. It has had two owners since Moore moved out.

He was the longest-serving James Bond, spending 12 years in the role and featuring in seven Bond films from 1973 to 1985.

Nowadays, the man with the golden pun (Moore, like Bond, is noted for his wit) divides his time between his homes in Monaco and Switzerland. ‘Is tax a concern?' we ask ourselves, with one quizzically raised eyebrow.

So, a red-brick manor house in the home counties may not have been the first image that came to mind when fantasising about James Bond's home.

But, remember, it was the villains who lived in those sci-fi modernist marvels of glass and concrete.

James Bond was no doubt of more traditional taste - like his creator, Ian Fleming, who named Goldfinger after the architect who designed 1960s Brutalist tower blocks such as Trellick Tower.

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