'Typically British, and simply perfect': Dick Strawbridge on his first house in the country
Dick Strawbridge has gone from Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army to TV stardom to life in a castle — but at the heart of his life there's always been a country home of his own. He spoke to Julie Harding.
Where was it?
In the Dorset village of Iwerne Minster.
A quick description
It was a three-bedroom terrace house, but one that didn’t have the terrace house feel of being hemmed in, because at the back, beyond the cobbled courtyard, there was half an acre of garden. The countryside was also only a 150-yard walk away.
How did you find it?
I was in the military and travelled a lot, but I wanted to put down roots. These were the days before the internet when you relied on estate agents’ offices and ‘for sale’ boards, plus patience. My first wife, Brigit, and I knew the area well and Iwerne Minster is an idyllic village that a lot of people pass by. We found the house within a few months and it became our family home for a while.
What sold it to you?
Location, location, location! The setting opposite the village church was typically British and simply perfect. Through the sound of those bells, you could also tell what day it was.
The beautiful Dorset village of Iwerne Minster has been settled since before the Romans came to Britain.
Was it a smooth purchase?
I don’t remember much pain. This was also back in the day when not much gazumping went on.
Best memory of living there?
Walking to the village shop most days when my children, James and Charlotte, were young to buy them an ice cream. It was wonderfully quiet even though we were only a few hundred yards from the A350.
Biggest indulgence?
This may sound ridiculous, but it was the first time I ever bought myself a set of drainage rods, and that Victorian plumbing definitely needed such a set to make everything flow freely. I haven’t been without them since. Such things come into their own when you have property.
What happened to the house?
I moved on with my job and ended up in the Herefordshire/Worcestershire area and purchased a property in Malvern, again on the edge of a village. I moved on again eventually, to a farm in Cornwall, and, in 2014, found myself at Chateau de la Motte Husson in France. This is really my first true country home — we have neighbours that we can’t even hear or see.
Dick Strawbridge will be appearing at the Game Fair (July 24–26), hosting Q&A sessions and taking part in a cookery demonstration with his wife, Angel, and children Arthur and Dorothy.
This feature originally appeared in the July 22, 2026, print edition of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.
