An eight bedroom Grade II* listed house surrounded by thirteen and a half acres in the heart of the Chilterns has been sold for what will seem like a song to those who don’t know the story leading to the latest sale.

The new owners of Beel House in Little Chalfont reportedly paid above the £3.95m asking price quoted by joint agents Savills and Knight Frank.

The property has been home to a string of household names in the world of politics and show business over the years.

It was built for the Duke of Buckinghamshire in the 1600s.

In modern times it has been home to film star Dirk Bogarde. He paid £4,000 for it when he bought it in the 1950s.

It appealed to the star of the 1954 hit movie Doctor in the House because it’s at the end of a private drive, away from public glare. At that time it stood in seven acres, not the current 13, but inside it had a lot more rooms than it does now.

As soon as the sale went through, Bogarde called in builders to demolish the former servants’ wing – bang went 11 rooms leaving just 15 including the one he was most proud of – the 30ft conservatory dating from 1910 (Kay Kendall likened it to a hospital out-patients department when she visited: the conservatory has since been rebuilt.

The present living area extends to almost 10,700 square feet.

There are eight bedrooms, seven bathrooms (two suites), a games block and also a leisure complex with indoor pool, whirlpool and steam room.

The privacy provided by the setting continues to be a main attraction.

In 2014, the then owner, former UKIP party leader Robert Kilroy-Silk, sold it to a buyer who by all accounts paid close to the £6.5m asking price before putting it straight back on the market saying it was “surplus to requirements”.

And there it remained, neglected and unloved until 2021 and the arrival of a purchaser who looks beyond decay and recognises good bones to the extent the price paid was above the £3.95m quoted by joint agents Savills and Knight Frank.

Hugh Maconochie from Savills country house department summed up: “In many respects, Beel House is the perfect country house residence: a magnificent Grade II* listed period home within easy reach of London… It requires complete internal restoration reflected by the reduction in price over the years.

“For the right buyer it would be an extremely exciting project.”