Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson’s childhood home goes up for sale for £4million

The childhood home of Sir Richard Branson, where he first dreamed of becoming a billionaire, is now for sale and could be yours for £4 million.

The red-brick property in the village of Shamley Green, Surrey, was home to the founder of Virgin Group, 70, during his time at boarding school in Buckinghamshire as a teenager.  

Tanyards Farm is a four-bedroom home in rural Surrey full of beautiful character and sits on roughly 1.4 acres of land.

Tanyards Farm, the childhood home of Sir Richard Branson, is a red-brick property in the village of Shamley Green, Surrey, and is on sale for £4 million

The four-bedroom property was home to the founder of Virgin Group, 70, during his time at boarding school in Buckinghamshire as a teenager. Pictured: The living room

It was there where a teenage Richard Branson came up with his first money-making schemes: breeding budgies and selling Christmas trees

Along with claim to a world-famous former resident, the home has beamed ceilings, a spiral staircase and stately fireplaces.  

The business tycoon mentioned his childhood home, Tanyards Farm, within his autobiography Losing My Virginity, which he describes as ‘a rambling building with many barns and sheds and some land’.

It was there at Tanyards Farm where a teenage Richard Branson came up with his first money-making schemes: selling Christmas trees and budgerigars.

With the help of his childhood friend Nik Powell, future co-founder of Virgin Records, he planted 400 Christmas trees in the field at Tanyards Farm during the Easter holidays when they were home from boarding school.

They had invested £5 in the seedlings, expecting to sell the Christmas trees for £2 each and make £800 however, when they inspected the trees the following summer, they found most had been eaten by rabbits.

Branson writes: ‘We exacted dire revenge and shot and skinned a lot of rabbits. We sold them to the local butcher for a shilling each, but it wasn’t quite the £800 we had planned.’ 

The young entrepreneur’s second ‘great business’ plan was also hatched at Tanyards Farm: breeding budgies. 

This time, he says he ‘overestimated the local demand for budgies’ and they were left with an aviary full of birds. 

The business tycoon mentioned Tanyards Farm within his autobiography Losing My Virginity, which he describes as ‘a rambling building with many barns and sheds and some land’. Pictured: The bespoke kitchen

The property in rural Surrey boasts high-beamed and often double height ceilings and and natural light. Pictured: The dining area

Tanyards Farm was also part of Branson’s brush with the law in 1971, when he was arrested by Customs and Excise officers for tax-evasion on the sale of records.

Virgin Records had been illegally profiting off a sophisticated purchase-tax fraud by avoiding paying purchase taxes on its merchandise by pretending to export albums that it actually sold in England. 

His mother, Eve Branson, showed up in the courtroom in Dover and put the family home, Tanyards Farm, as security for bail to ensure his release.

The house is full of beautiful character has lovely period features such as a spiral staircase (pictured) and leaded windows

The Tanyards Farm property was part of Branson’s brush with the law in 1971, when he was arrested for tax-evasion and his mother put the house up as security for his bail. Pictured: One of the three bathrooms

Branson was eventually fined £15,000 and paid £45,000 in taxes, the equivalent today of nearly £1million. 

In June 2020, Branson was estimated to be worth £3.1 billion by the American business magazine Forbes.

The property comprises four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a bespoke kitchen, a conservatory, two reception rooms, a study, and a formal dining room. 

The home also has leaded windows, store room, a dressing room and family room with its own entrance – that could be used as live-in staff quarters. 

The property in rural Surrey is on the market with Sotheby’s International Realty for £4million, according to the listing. 

The property comprises four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a bespoke kitchen, a conservatory, two reception rooms, a study, and a formal dining room.

The house sits in around 1.4 acres of land and has potential for the new owners to expand. 

‘This house is full of history, character, warmth and charm,’ writes Jason Corbett, director of country sales and lettings at UK Sotheby’s International Realty.

‘Perfect for families looking to be close to leading schools, yet located in one of Surrey’s most sought after villages, with two lovely pubs, a cricket green and a local shop just a short walk away. 

‘Internally, beamed and often double height ceilings and natural light describe this property succinctly. Each room has its individual character and laid out like a Tardis; the accommodation seems endless. 

The house has several outbuildings (pictured) and sits in around 1.4 acres of land, with potential for the new owners to expand

In 2010, the property made headlines when the local council demolished a £1million luxury ‘Granny’ annexe on the property built by the owner which exceeded approved planning permission. Pictured: Patios and seating areas and the garden conservatory

‘The beautifully painted bespoke kitchen has masses of work surfaces, a separate larder cupboard and leads to both the garden conservatory and the dining room.’ 

In 2010, the property made headlines when the local council demolished a £1million luxury ‘Granny’ annexe on the property built by the owner, Michel Harper, a nightclub owner, for his mother.

Distraught pensioner, Nicole Harper, 76, wrestled with police and jumped in front of the digger that was sent to bulldoze her annexe.

It had been built to make her life more comfortable following her battle with cancer but planning officials declared the extension a metre wider and four metres longer than had been approved.