‘It’s going to break my heart’

A 71-year-old woman has said she feels “absolutely sick” after being told she would be evicted from her home on the estate where the BBC sitcom Ghosts was filmed.

Baschea Walsh has lived in a cottage on the grounds of West Horsley Place for nearly 20 years but now says she is being kicked out so her home can be turned into a holiday let for fans of Ghosts.

She told the BBC: “I’ve had such a lovely time here and to leave it, it’s going to break my heart.”

Ghosts, which followed the adventures of a living couple sharing a house with a group of spirits, was a ratings hit for the BBC, with 6.2 million people watching the final episode in 2023.

A spokesperson for West Horsley Place Trust, which owns the cottage, said they appreciated it was a significant upheaval for the tenant, and had provided an extended notice period and help exploring alternative housing options.

West Horsley Place is a 15th Century Grade I listed manor house in Surrey with a 400 acre estate attached.

It has been a location for film and television productions including Enola Holmes, Howards End, Vanity Fair and Ghosts, where the building was renamed Button House.

Throughout the years the estate has passed through different hands – including Henry VIII’s – eventually ending up, in 2014, in the hands of Bamber Gascoigne, the author and former host of University Challenge.

Mr Gascoigne and his wife Christina decided to hand over West Horsley Place – and its assets including outbuildings – to a charitable trust aimed at restoring the building and promoting the arts including performance and crafts.

Miss Walsh first came across the 17th Century cottage on the estate when she was visiting a friend of her son’s who was living there.

She says it was her dream house, literally.

“I had already dreamt about it. I know that sounds ridiculous but as soon as I saw it I thought ‘that was in my dream’. It genuinely was.”

She moved into the cottage in 2006.

“It’s been a place I’ve adored,” she says. “My grandchildren have loved being here – they’ve enjoyed it as much as I.

“It’s been a magical place to live… I thought I was going to be here forever.”

Since moving in, Miss Walsh says she has been very aware of “the privilege” of living in such picturesque and historic surroundings.

“And when something is a privilege then you do what you can to pay that back and appreciate it,” she says.

To that end, Miss Walsh has thrown herself into looking after the area and getting involved with the local community.

That included repurposing an old pushchair in order to go round the estate picking up rubbish.

“I’ve collected car bumpers, bottles, cans, dog poo and things you don’t even want to know about.”

During her time on the estate, she has also volunteered for the opera festival that takes place on the estate every year, and makes decorations for local events including VE Day celebrations.

In July she was sent an email by the West Horsley Place Trust asking for a meeting.

“I thought my rent was going to go up again,” she says.

“Last time they put it up by 30% which was a bit of a shock.”

Instead, she was told that they wanted to turn her cottage into a holiday let.

What were her thoughts after hearing the news?

“I just felt absolutely sick,” says Miss Walsh. “I have to admit I’ve had the worst month.

“I completely flipped out.

“My life has just stopped – I can’t do anything for anybody, because I’m in crisis.

“I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, I don’t know where I’m going to live, I don’t know what I can keep.”

Miss Walsh has been given until November to move out and says she has been trying to find alternative places to live, but would struggle to afford anywhere in the local area.

“I’m quite capable of going to a different post office, petrol station, supermarket, but my doctor, my hospital… I’m going to have to change everything,” she says.

“I’m going to be taken out of my community.”

Even when she finds somewhere to move to, she says she will always live with the fear that she could be kicked out again.

Christina Gascoigne, the widow of Bamber, told the BBC she was “shocked and horrified” to hear of the eviction.

“I don’t think it is right and I think he [Bamber Gascogine] would feel the same.”

A spokesperson for West Horsley Place Trust, which last year hosted a Halloween events for Ghosts fans, said: “We fully appreciate how significant an upheaval this is for the tenant.

“We have provided an extended notice period and offered personalised support, including assistance in exploring alternative housing options.

“We have not taken the decision to end this tenancy lightly.

“West Horsley Place Trust is an independent charity caring for a fragile heritage estate.

“To secure its future and continue our public mission, we are creating diversified, sustainable income through carefully considered changes, including updating and converting two historic cottages into holiday lets.”