The McVitie's digestive has been a British classic for over 100 years (it was first made in 1895) and is still so enduringly popular that 52 McVitie's chocolate digestives are eaten in Britain every single second.
With that in mind, it's no surprise to hear that the McVities family was rather well-heeled, and has been for a long, long time. In 1907, Robert McVitie bought himself this beautiful Georgian house in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, shortly before the biscuit company (then known as McVitie & Price) opened a factory in Harlesden (their first outside Scotland).
The mansion he bought was the one you see on this page, Woodcock Hill. It's a delightful old place that served as the McVitie home until Robert's death, after which it became a home for Carmelite nuns.
After the Second World War it was divided into three large apartments – one of which takes up the entire ground floor, and is on the market via Fine & Country at £1,750,000.
At the heart of the apartment is the dining and drawing rooms, separate spaces connected by an archway, and full of period details such as the ornate coving, high ceilings, chandeliers and the open fireplace.
Doors from the drawing room open out onto an original Victorian conservatory whose original mosaic floor is as delightful, and which gives easy access onto the three acres of gardens – a mixture of lawns, formal gardens, a walled flower garden and a small orchard.
The two reception rooms take up most of one side of the apartment – over 50ft – while on the other side of the hallway are a kitchen/breakfast with an Aga and a generously-sized double-aspect study that is 17'x17'.
The bedrooms and two bathrooms – which boast beautiful period fittings – are arranged at the far end of the property, giving a degree of separation between the two parts of the home.
There is further space down below: there is a large cellar with two vaults, one of which is used as a wine cellar while the other is currently fitted out as a gym.There is also a separate wood store with a chute, while there is a further wood shed and a workshop within the grounds.
9 utterly magnificent apartments where you can live in splendour at a fraction of the usual cost
An apartment within a listed mansion offers a fantastic mix of affordability, practicality and splendour, as these stunning places show.
Credit: Strutt & Parker
The magnificent apartment that hosted Lloyd George, Churchill and Conan Doyle
This exquisite apartment is situated in the former home of Arthur Balfour.
A ballroom in Bath, the finest view in York, and three more incredible flats outside London
We're all used to seeing fabulous apartments in Britain's capital city – but London doesn't have the monopoly on amazing living
-
'The whole house shook. Everything was white. For four months, it felt as if we were on Mars': The story behind one of Hampshire's most breathtaking gardensWhen Kim Wilkie sculpted a tiered grass amphitheatre behind this 17th-century house, the garden finally settled into place, as Non Morris discovers.
-
'I have lost a treasure, such a sister, such a friend as never can have been surpassed': Inside Jane Austen's Winchester home, the house where she penned her final words and drew her final breathJane Austen spent the last days of her life in rented lodgings in Winchester, Hampshire. Adam Rattray describes the remarkable recent discoveries made about the house in which she died.
-
An utterly charming island home in Scotland with gardens so beautiful they made the cover of Country LifeAn Cala on the Isle of Seil has a fascinating history that is only enhanced by its amazing setting.
-
Soft tones and a sense of place: A Mayfair duplex that breaks the modern mouldA new designer-led residence at 60 Curzon in Mayfair reminds us that everything new doesn't necessarily have to look it.
-
'The very best North Yorkshire has to offer': The £25 million Kirkham EstateWith 1,103 acres and on the market for the first time in a century, we've got a new frontrunner for the sale of the year.
-
The reality of 20 years of house price rises in Britain, from the places that have had a charmed life to the spots where it's a struggle to move back homeAt first glance the ups and downs of the property market seem to even out over time — but dig in to the numbers and you'll see wild regional variations which paint a very difference picture. Annabel Dixon analyses new research which tells the story.
-
A historic Yorkshire hall, meticulously restored to its former 18th-century magnificenceWomersley Park is a masterpiece and one of Yorkshire's great historic houses. And it could be yours.
-
Rowing past dreams: An idyllic riverside home with a boathouse, croquet pitch and Olympic pedigreeThe Manor in Long Wittenham is a perfect Thames-side getaway. Comes with a free boat.
-
A bucolic Sussex home that's 'like stepping into a fairytale', yet just 30 minutes from central LondonFelmere House is a playground for nature and only 30 minutes from London.
-
Magnificent mansions across the Home Counties, from £3 million to £14 million, as seen in Country LifeA waterside dream home and a house and estate with over 1,100 years of history make our round-up this week.
