Broadchurch actress Daphne Neville is selling the extraordinary Cotswolds mill where she lived for more than 60 years after moving into a care home for entertainment industry veterans.

Neville, 89, who played Charlotte Rampling’s bedridden mother Margery Knight in the ITV drama, is selling Grade-II listed Bakers Mill in Gloucestershire for £1.85 million.

The actress and wildlife campaigner raised her three daughters at the secluded property near Stroud - along with a succession of tame otters whom she would regularly be seen takingajoin to the local shops on her shoulders.

Neville left the family home for Denville Hall, the prestigious north London care home reserved exclusively for those who have spent their careers in showbusiness and performing arts.

The specialist home counts stars such as Richard Attenborough, Andrew Sachs and Marianne Faithfull among its notable former residents.

Bakers Mill is set in almost 12 acres of the Cotswolds' Golden Valley between Stroud and Cirencester and comes with its own private lake, paddocks, woodland and river frontage.

The property also boasts an adjoining former Georgian silk mill which has been converted into additional accommodation.

Estate agents Knight Frank describe the five-bedroomed property as a 'magical Cotswold mill house' and a 'truly exceptional country retreat in one of the Cotswolds’ most enchanting valleys'.

The sales particulars state: 'Bakers Mill sits within beautifully landscaped, private grounds and rural land totalling approximately 11.78 acres.

'It is defined by its idyllic position in the ‘Golden Valley’, named by Queen Victoria as it is so sheltered the trees keep their autumn leaves.

'The sun rises over the lake, creating an ever-changing and deeply tranquil atmosphere.'

The drawing room, dining room and kitchen lead on to a south-facing York-stone terrace above the River Frome, while the bedrooms look across the gardens, lake and wooded valley.

The listing adds: 'The property offers a rare blend of character, interest and charm, having lovely views over the lake and enjoying the musical sound of the River Frome flowing by.'

But for decades the most unusual animals at Bakers Mill were Neville's otters.

The RADA-trained actress, whose credits also include The Crown, Casualty, Prime Suspect and radio soap The Archers, began keeping the wild animals in 1980.

She adopted her first otter - Bee - back in 1980, after a friend suggested the 18th century converted water mill offered the perfect conditions.

Neville eventually raised ten otters, with the last - Rudi - appearing at Kensington Palace and on film and television productions including ITV drama The Durrells.

She once spoke of her close bond with the Asian small-clawed otter whom she regularly took to the shops with him on her shoulders, despite him having 36 sharp teeth and ownership requiring difficult-to-obtain licensing.

Speaking in 2019, Neville said: 'With Rudi, I've had him since he was three weeks old. He thinks I'm his mum. I'm a part of him and he’s a part of me.

'I've shown people you can have incredible bonds with these creatures. Touch wood, we have never had an accident.

'I wouldn't want to be a risk to anyone. All my otters have been immaculately behaved. I wouldn't dream of taking them out otherwise.

'We do shows all over the place. People come from miles away - especially from Australia and New Zealand. They don’t have otters there.'

Neville and Rudi even appeared together on Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me, finishing second. The animal later retired to the New Forest Wildlife Park, where he died in 2024.

Neville, whose late husband was newscaster Martin Neville, herself retired to Denville Hall, where former residents also include EastEnders actress Pat Coombs, theatre director Peter Hall and comedian Stanley Baxter.

Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Helen Mirren and Daniel Radcliffe are among prominent supporters of the charity-run home, which has just 36 places.

It also has a dedicated dementia ward, Jeanne’s Wing, named after Baroness Jeanne de Rothschild, a friend of Richard Attenborough who left £7million to the home.

Its walls are lined with old theatre playbills, there is an art studio and a salon with dressing-room-style lights, while shelves of films range from Shakespeare adaptations to war films and period dramas.