Merrimoles, Nettlebed, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

Peter Fleming, the brother of Ian Fleming of James Bond fame, was married to the actress Celia Johnson. Peter Fleming's writing was very lucrative, and, he was wealthy enough to have designed for him and built a large house on his 1000 acres estate near Nettlebed, that was named "Merrimoles" after an old barn in the next field that belonged to Miss Mary Moles. Described as a mixture of neo-Georgian and Lutyens, it stood in a commanding position, but had but a little garden. Peter and Celia moved in with two maids, a cook and a nanny. At first Celia Jonson didn't like it, preferring the idea of a Georgian rectory with a garden, but she came to love it, and in old age could not be persuaded to leave. It had ten bedrooms, all facing south, servants’ quarters, a kitchen far from the dining room, and in years to come it would gain a billiard table and swimming pool. One room, in which Celia played cards a lot, became known as "The Casino."