Carole Middleton's £5k renovation at 'modest' home helped by baby Kate

Nichola Murphy
·3-min read
Carole Middleton in a blue floral dress walking down steps
(Getty Images)

The moment the Princess of Wales was named Prince William's fiancée, fans began delving into information about her past – including where she grew up.

Her notoriously private parents Carole and Michael Middleton have spent much of their lives based in Berkshire, where they now live in Bucklebury Manor. But their former home was totally transformed with just £5k by a savvy Carole, who "didn't have oodles of money" at the time.

Kate Middleton's childhood home West View in Bucklebury
(AFP via Getty Images)

Kate: The Future Queen shared unknown details about the couple's "modest" home West View in Cock Lane, which they purchased for £34,700 back in 1979, three years before they welcomed their eldest daughter Kate.

Described as a "pretty redbrick semidetached cottage", the four-bedroom house had a country kitchen with an Aga and rustic fireplaces in the living and dining rooms. According to Mr. Singleton, they made some minor improvements to the property before finding out they were pregnant.

Carole Middleton donned a winter-inspired look 'Together At Christmas' Carol Service at Westminster Abbey
Carole transformed her marital home using her British Airways redundancy package (Getty Images)

"They moved to West View to start a family, and Bradfield is a pretty desirable spot to live. Theirs was a modest country cottage and they did some nice things to it. It was a very comfortable home with plenty of character," Singleton said.

DISCOVER:

"Carole made it very pretty. She has a lot of style and arranges things very nicely. It was intrinsically pretty, with lovely sash windows and open log fires in two reception rooms. When they moved in, they didn't have oodles of money, but Carole made it look great. She has a great eye for colour and fabrics. She was always a very stylish woman and very traditional."

It was previously reported that they made significant improvements to the house, including extending the kitchen. Now, it has been revealed they did this with former air hostess Carole's British Airways redundancy package.

The $7k (around £5.5k) package she received while pregnant was "enough money to put toward her planned loft conversion and kitchen expansion."

oak acre
The couple's home at Oak Acre

The original kitchen was "small", according to George Brown, who added: "Carole, who was an accomplished cook and an enthusiastic baker, was grateful for the extra space once the word was done. 'Carole made the house a home.'"

While it may seem like a small investment by today's standards, Carole and Michael added significant value to the property. They sold it in 1995 for £158,000, making them an impressive £124,000 profit in 16 years. By 2021, the value was estimated to be a staggering £748,000.

carole michael middleton bucklebury family home
The couple have a countryside home, Bucklebury Manor (Getty)

Since then, they have lived in Oak Acre and Bucklebury Manor, where they remain today.

Carole's love of rustic country interiors has continued today. Speaking of her home, which she purchased for £4.7 million in 2012, she told Good Housekeeping her kitchen is "always wam" thanks to the traditional Aga.

"I love a kitchen supper," she said. "Where I have a small number of guests. I'll cook something delicious and make it look lovely, then we'll finish with a kitchen disco."

READ: Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's $66m towering New York skyscraper touches the clouds