Blair eyes up rock legend’s home

Tony Blair - his eye forever on the main chance – is taking advantage of falling house prices and looking around for a cut-price country house.

In the past month, the former Prime Minister has viewed two possible homes in Buckinghamshire – one of which is called, uncannily, Chequers House. However, the property he is said to fancy most is Pophleys, a 16th-century farmhouse formerly owned by Ian Anderson, the flute-playing lead singer of rock band Jethro Tull.

Pophleys is situated in Stokenchurch, also in Bucks. It consists of eight bedrooms, a tennis court, a gym, stables and is set in 13 acres of land. It was placed on the market last year for £6m, but has now been reduced t £5.25m.

According to the Sunday Times, Mr Blair is understood to have a budget of £5m and be willing to extend his mortgage debt to almost £9m to secure the property. However, he shouldn't have much trouble getting a loan. Blair now has a part-time job as a senior adviser with JPMorgan Chase, the Wall Street bank, for which is said to receive £500,000 a year; he also commands as much as £250,000 a time for speaking engagements.

If the Blairs do acquire the house it will be the sixth item in their portfolio. As well as their old constituency home in Sedgefield and two flats bought in Bristol they own a Georgian townhouse in Connaught Square, London, and the mews house behind it.