Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK and the MP for Clacton, resides in a rural, quaint town 17 miles from Westminster, where house prices range from £570K to £570K but have been steadily declining.
Local elections are taking place across England today, with millions of voters heading to their nearest polling station. Hoping to win two or three mayoralties for his party is Nigel Farage, the MP for Clacton and Leader of Reform UK.
The 61-year-old politician can be found at his home in Downe, a quiet and picturesque village that is about 17 miles from Westminster, when he isn’t campaigning or sitting in parliament. The legendary 19th-century naturalist and “godfather” of evolutionary biology lived in Downe, which is located in the London borough of Bromley.
The village, which is only a short drive from Orpington, is surrounded by Kent’s countryside, championship golf courses, and stately private residences. Guy and Barbara Farage were the parents of Mr. Farage in Farnborough, Kent.
According to the Express, he attended the prestigious Dulwich College, a fee-paying university whose notable alumni include Jeeves and Wooster author P. G. Wodehouse and The Chemical Brothers’ Ed Simons.
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Nigel has always maintained his love for Kent, settling for Downe, where the two counties share a border. Given that the village has a quick access to central London, it’s not surprising that properties there cost an average of £565, 833, according to Rightmove data from last year. He is said to reside in a family home there.
Semi-detached homes sold for an average of £681, 250, accounting for the majority of property sales in Downe. Terraced homes sold for around £335, 000. However, Downe real estate values are declining, with prices dropping by 27% from their previous year’s peak of £776, 675 and by 50%.
The village is served by two TfL bus lines, the R8 (Orpington-Biggin Hill via Downe) and the 146 (Bromley-Downe). Busses from Bromley South or Orpington Stations are both accessible in 20 minutes.
Downe has two bars: George and Dragon and The Queens Head, which are ideal for Mr. Farage to relax in after a long day at work. The former prides itself on its selection of real ales and seasonal food options while the latter is a family-run, traditional 16th-century country pub.
RAF Biggin Hill is only a short drive from the village. In the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, this former fighter base stood up for London and South-east England from enemy bombing. The RAF Biggin Hill Museum and Chapel, where Winston Churchill’s “Few” are commemorated, is where this historical tale is narrated.
The area has several courses to choose from, including Chelsfield Lakes Golf Club, High Elms Golf Club, Cherry Lodge Golf Club, and West Kent Golf Club, if the MP wants to play golf on the weekend.
Darwin’s Down House is Downe’s main attraction. The study that the father of evolutionary theory wrote in On the Origin of Species is accessible here. The family home of Darwin is regarded by English Heritage as having significant international significance.
The renowned scientist would regularly walk the house’s perimeter known as the Sandwalk. Additionally, he planted orchids in a greenhouse and set up a laboratory in a brick hut.
Visitors can now learn how the naturalist’s observations helped shape the development of his pioneering theories because the gardens that served as Darwin’s “living laboratory” were set in.
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Source: Mirror
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