Danny Dyer’s Rivals Mansion Is On The Market For £8m

And so the wait begins. With part 2 of Rivals season 2 now on hold until November, and the promised series 3 still a good few years away, the Jilly Cooper-sized holes in our hearts are desperately yearning for more, more, more(!) of the Disney+ bonkbuster. But if thumbing through the well-worn pages of the Rutshire Chronicles is failing to satiate your desires, we can offer you one better: buying up the real-life Rivals mansion of Valerie and Freddie Jones.  

Take A Look Inside The Real Bella Vista

It’s garish. It’s tacky. And it’s oh so 80s. 

In Rivals season 2 we see tech mogul Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer) and his social-climbing wife Valerie (Lisa McGrillis) upgrade from Green Fields to the biggest property in town: Bella Vista. It’s a little bit Spanish, a little bit Italian, a touch Viennese, a tad Georgian, and a new-build offensively far from the crumbling Cotswold-y mansions of their old-money neighbours. And now the Welsh property where Bella Vista was filmed could be yours for £8m.

A blingy ode to Thatcherite extravagance, here we see Valerie (or rather Mousey) valiantly attempt to secure her and Fred-Fred’s spot among the upper echelons of Rutshire society via drink soirees and polo-fuelled pool parties. All while failing to ever fully fit in amongst their ancestrally wealthy neighbours and privately educated peers.

In fairness to the owners of Foxfield, the opulent home we see in the show is a far cry from their tasteful, Kelly Hoppen-designed abode. Built in 1999, over a decade after the setting of Rivals, it was the show’s top-notch crew who imbued it with its 80s, new-money feel.  

As production designer Dominic Hyman explained to C&TH, ‘because [Freddie and Valerie are] slightly separate from the established crowd in Rutshire, we took steps to make things feel a little bit off. We got the colours a little bit wrong, the drapes are bigger than they should be, the pinks are pinker than they should be, there’s a bit more gold than we really would like… But it’s done with love, not in a way that mocks Freddie and Valerie.’ Valerie and Freddie’s bedroom and living room in the show, for example, were actually both shot in Foxfield’s piano room. 

Lisa McGrillis as Valerie Jones in Rivals Season 2 (c) Disney/Robert Viglasky Photography

Fans of Rivals, however, will know that it is the skinny-dipping-banned pool house where the real drama unfolds. But this, Hyman revealed, was actually shot 50 miles away in a real pool house that was made over for the show. ‘We painted it pink,’ said Hyman. ‘We had extraordinary nets and drapes made for all the windows. I wanted it to feel like a Las Vegas funeral parlor.’

Though pool-less, it’s easy to see why a character like Valerie would be drawn to a house of this grandeur. At 24,000 sqft and a £8m price point, it’s the most expensive house in Wales – located in the suburb of Lisvane on the outskirts of Cardiff. And with seven en-suite bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a yoga studio, formal and informal reception rooms, an orangery, tennis court, bar, two home offices, a lift and 24 acres of grounds, it’s an attractive offering indeed.

An estate of such grandeur, it’s no surprise that Rivals wasn’t the first production to come calling. But it was the first that the owners deigned to accept. Having already decided to sell, the show made for the perfect last hurrah. ‘We so enjoyed [the first series of] Rivals; we absolutely devoured it because it’s such a joyful production. I absolutely adore the 80s and think Jilly Cooper was just sensational. So it seemed like such a fun collaboration,’ owner Deb told The Times. 

And if the grandeur of Foxfield doesn’t scream Jilly Cooper loudly enough, the rather phallic looking hedge out front really seals the deal. As does its glittering past. Like any Rivals-worthy manor, Foxfield has naturally played host to its fair share of star-studded soirees. ‘We’ve had amazing parties there over the years,’ said Deb. ‘My parents hosted parties there that have been spectacular, bringing awareness to those charities that they were really passionate about.’

On one particularly memorable night in 2006, the then-patron of NSPCC Wales, none other than Catherine Zeta-Jones, and her husband Michael Douglas made an appearance. ‘We had a lovely fundraising dinner on one of the lawns, and she gave a completely impromptu performance of Chicago. And it was just amazing to look around and hear all these Welsh voices and everyone just having just such a good time.’ We’re sure Valerie would be jealous. 

On the market for £8m. Find out more fineandcountry.co.uk