The farmhouse where the iconic television series Bagpuss was created is on sale for £1.2 million.
Hillside Farm in Blean, near Canterbury, was the family home of the late illustrator, artist and puppeteer Peter Firmin, who co-created the iconic pink-and-white cloth cat with writer Oliver Postgate.
The four-bedroom farmhouse, which sits within about 6.12 acres of gardens and grounds on Blean Hill, has gone on the market and has been described as a ‘truly special and historic country estate’.
It was within the grounds of Hillside Farm, in a disused cow shed, that Mr Firmin and Mr Postgate brought Bagpuss to life through their production company Smallfilms.
Mr Firmin’s family all helped bring the show to life, his wife Joan helped create some of the props used on set, and the Victorian child in the show, Emily, was their daughter.
Only 13 episodes of Bagpuss were ever produced, and were regularly repeated between the first airing in 1974 and 1986.
In 1999, a BBC poll named it the most popular children’s show of all time.
Smallfilms productions also include The Clangers, Ivor the Engine and Noggin the Nog – programmes that remain cherished by generations of viewers.
Bagpuss creator and house owner Peter Firmin with his daughter Emily, co-creator Oliver Postgate and Bagpuss
The farmhouse where the iconic television series Bagpuss was created and filmed
Bagpuss pictured in the window of the farmhouse in Blean, near Canterbury
Mr Postgate died in 2008, followed by Mr Firmin 10 years later.
Now, the property where some of children’s TV’s most famous characters were born is up for sale.
Estate agents Finn’s say the farmhouse itself retains original features including fireplaces, tiled floors, picture rails and original internal doors.
Its large oak-framed, vaulted first-floor sitting room is described as a ‘wonderful area for entertaining and family living’.
The estate also includes a detached Kentish barn, traditional stables and a brick-built workshop, surrounded by mature gardens, woodland, paddocks and a large pond.
Finn’s suggest the barn could offer conversion potential, subject to planning permission, while parts of the land may present future development opportunities.
The property listing adds: ‘Prospective purchasers should note that part of the land is subject to an overage.’
Overage is an extra payment, usually triggered by actions related to property development.
Despite its rural setting, the property is less than two miles from Canterbury city centre and close to Blean Primary School, Canterbury’s grammar schools and the University of Kent.
The sale comes at a time of renewed interest in the ‘most magical, saggy old cloth cat in the whole wide world’.
A new feature film starring Bagpuss and friends in modern-day Britain, blending live-action and animation, is currently in development for a 2027 release.
Meanwhile, the original 50-year-old puppet continues to draw visitors to Canterbury’s Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, where he is proudly displayed.
Hillside Farm is being offered for sale with no onward chain.
