In the late 1950s Richard Todd and his wife purchased Haileywood House and Farm – which he turned into a dairy farm with some success to be fair. However this property was on the market and presumably sold in 1946 – it was advertised in Country Life on 30 August 1946 just after the war and I have to say it looked very good even then – so had suffered no damage.

Richard Todd who a decade later purchased the above property.

Former Shiplake farmer Richard Todd – above at Haileywood House.

Richard Todd lived at Haileywood from 1955 to 1967 and was president of the Henley and District Agricultural Association in 1963.

A renowned celebrity in the area, Todd was also active on the local theatrical scene. He was founding president of the Henley Midnight Matinee and president of the Kenton Theatre Group.

Former Henley mayor Tony Lane, who served alongside Todd on the Midnight Matinee committee, said: “He was instrumental in getting the fund-raising matinees off the ground and securing the Royal Command films.

The above pictures were all taken at Haileywood House and Farm – in the mid 1950s.

Mr Lane went on to say “He used to throw his all into these projects and was a most pleasant and charming man. Although he was a star of the stage, screen and television, he was also a local farmer.

In  his autobiography Richard Todd admits that he made a hasty decision to sell the farm in 1964 due to a dip in his acting career. Had he kept his nerve all would have worked out but he says that in any case, he should have kept the farm and sold off the house and moved into one of the other properties which was part of the farm. Had he kept this property and farm, it would have been worth mega money in todays market  – particularly in that area of the country.