Sir David Attenborough's 1870's Castle with Human Skull & Modest London Flat | House Tour 2024

did you know David atenor still lives in the same home where he once discovered a human skull buried in the backyard he loves his properties so much even if it is a little bit haunted David atenor has established himself as a household name through his captivating Nature Documentaries which he narrates such as blue planet and life on Earth the 98-year-old Explorer's iconic voice resonates with audiences of all ages and he continues to live in London despite his D atenor leads a humble life in his Richmond home which he's described as his favorite place on Earth over the years several photos of his home have been shared with the public he moved to Richmond back in 1951 drawn by the neighborhood's Open Spaces his Edwardian home has occasionally been featured in news reports too one notable report in 2011 revealed the discovery of a skull in his garden which turned out to belong to Julia Martha Thomas a woman murdered by her housekeeper in 1879 before we look at his longtime home let's check out the beautiful and Grand property that David atenor grew up in as a child in 2022 part of this home where David and his late brother actor Richard atenor grew up was listed on the market and it is quite the history Hayden Hall house located in bushy Hertford Shire was listed at over $1.1 million us the last time it was on the market it was acquired by the anro family in the 1870s and it's believed that the iconic Brothers lived there during the 1920s and 1930s but the exact duration of their stay remains unclear the grade two listed property was commissioned in the 1830s by author and artist Thomas fono who inspired by his time in Italy requested the home was built in the style of a tusken villa the architect Decimus Burton one of the most celebrated figures of the 19th century designed it Burton known for creating landmarks like Wellington Arch the Royal Botanic Gardens at Q and much of Hyde Park like the gates and the screen at hide Park Corner construction of Hayden Hill housee began in 1841 and the atenor family purchased Hayden Hill housee in the 1870s post World War II Harrow Council converted the house into a retirement home in the late 1980s it was sold and transformed into a series of luxury apartments this particular three-bedroom three-b property stands 2,187 squ ft over three floors and features its own entrance hall on the ground level there are also High ceilings and sash windows throughout making the home feel very Grand on the first floor there's a large sitting room with dual views of the gardens as well as an original marble fireplace and chandelier additionally there's a kitchen breakfast room a coat room and a master bedroom with an on suite and mezzan a further flight of stairs leads to two guest bedrooms and a third bathroom the property sets on about 3.5 Acres of shared land which includes a Walled Garden you may even spot horses and other animals grazing on the council owned land Beyond this land is named Attenborough fields in honor of its former residence London commuters will also appreciate the mansion's location with easy access to the M1 and M25 motorways and less than a mile from bushy station David atenor at age 98 still lives in the same home he's lived in for years when he's not filming sir David resides in Richmond England an affluent residential district bordering the river tames in 2013 he declared Richmond his favorite place by a long way despite having visited every corner of the globe he cited the gorgeous climate and the multitude of museums as key reasons why he loves it so much in 2020 Richmond actually topped rankings of London's happiest places to live the Town Center offers a variety of shops like High Street chains and independent stores along with numerous pubs bars and restaurants some boasting beautiful views of the river nearby Q Gardens attracts visitors from around the world boasting over 50,000 different plants in its living collections it was recently named home to the largest living plant collection on Earth Richmond's popularity is also due to its mix of shopping opportunities and Parks Richmond Park the largest of London's Royal Parks holds National and international importance for its Wildlife Conservation attenburrow made Richmond his home way back in 1951 after falling in love with the neighborhood's Open Spaces David keeps his home life quite private but he still offered glimpses inside over the years in 2005 David posed for a photo in living room which is decorated with lilac carpets and White Walls the furniture included a set of brown leather sofas a white bookshelf a dark oak dresser and other ornaments naturally two Wildlife photos were displayed on the walls an older photo from the same angle shows a dark oak wooden coffee table in the middle of the seating arrangement the room's windows are Cathedral shaped and open like shutters lined with floor length brown curtains a different view of the room room revealed David's collection of DVDs CDs and more while there's also a painting of a mountain landscape hanging on the wall David's hallway features wood paneled walls and built-in shelving units with glass shelves where he displays other decorations as expected David does his best to attract and care for the local Wildlife including feeding birds with a silver metallic bird feeder set up on a tree the exterior of his house is painted a vibrant light Pac with white window frames and a gray tiled roof while the garden and residence looks peaceful David's Edwardian home has been featured in several news reports over the years it may even be haunted in 2011 there was a report that highlighted a skull found in his garden which was later identified as belonging to Julia Martha Thomas a womaned by her housekeeper in 1879 in 2010 while David atenor was having an extension built in his Southwest London Garden workers discovered a skull that had clearly been buried for a long time carbon dating indicated that the skull belonged to someone who lived between 1650 and 1880 the skull appearing to be that of a white female around menopausal age and missing teeth was found lying on top of Victorian era tiles despite the few Clues the investigation team identified the skull's owner through census and trial records a victim who met her end on March 2nd 1879 Julia Martha Thomas lived alone in Richmond Southwest London following the death of her second husband in 1873 she hired Kate Webster as her servant who had a trouble past including several students in prison for theft and robbery the relationship between the two soured fast and Thomas often tried to make her friends stay with her to avoid being alone with Webster eventually Thomas decided that Webster should leave and arranged for her last day to be February 28th 1879 Webster persuaded her to allow her to stay a few days longer during which she committed the crime pushing Thomas down the stairs strangling her dismembering her body and boiling it Webster even distributed the rendered fat to local children as food or so they say talk about horrifying although Webster was tried and executed for a crime the skull remained undiscovered until until David's Workman started working on his extension today aten boro's Garden is full of bird feeders that attract local Wildlife showing his passion for conservation he reportedly also purchased the pub next door to his home in 2001 for 1 million lounds he was concerned that a block of flats might replace it David aten bro renowned for his captivating Nature Documentaries has lived a life as interesting as the wildlife he showcases from his childhood home seeped in history to his beloved Richmond Abode where he even found a skull David has cherished his properties would you be able to stay in a home where you found a skull tied to a gruesome tragedy let me know down in the comments that'll wrap up today's tour I'm car the Vampire Slayer follow me on Instagram to chat and I'll see you all next time bye