article: Set in the grey stones of the Victorian chapel, the red of the two doors makes a bold, slightly unexpected statement. But that distinctive splash of colour is the only clue to the identity of the man who turned this building into a family home. In the early 1970s, Sir Richard Branson brought the chapel into residential use while he was setting up his Virgin recording business. And from then until the present day, the Virgin logo – which has gone on to adorn trains, planes and a multitude of other businesses – has always been printed in the red of those humble chapel doors. Sir Richard Branson converted The Old Chapel in Shipton-on-Cherwell, Oxfordshire, into a home in the 1970s . At the time he converted the property, Branson had a recording studio in an old manor house a few miles away from the chapel at South Leigh in Shipton-on-Cherwell, Oxfordshire. At The Manor, the first Virgin albums, such as Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, were recorded and Branson would use The Old Chapel as a weekend retreat. Other artists using The Manor included Sandy Denny, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and John Cale. 'I saw Richard coming and going into The Old Chapel in the 1970s,' says South Leigh resident Martin Collet, 57. 'I often used to see him in the village pub, The Mason Arms, having a meal with family and friends and he was always very pleasant.' He brought the chapel into residential use while he was setting up his Virgin recording business . The entrepreneur painted the doors of the country retreat his trademark bright red, pictured with Kate Moss . He adds that The Old Chapel wasn't always a complete retreat from Branson's rock 'n' roll world. 'He often had parties there and we heard the music, even though we were four doors away – but it wasn't a problem. I think he only used the house at the weekends, and he was well liked in the village.' Other residents recall that Branson was a regular visitor to the village shop on Sundays, buying breakfast for his overnight visitors. Branson's love affair with this part of Oxfordshire continued after he left The Old Chapel. He owned The Manor until the 1990s and, for two decades, also owned Mill End House in the village of Kidlington, which he sold to his children a few years ago when he moved his base to Necker Island in the Caribbean. 'Branson did a superb job on the chapel,' says Rowan Andrews, the home's current owner, who bought it in 2007. 'We haven't had to do much, apart from putting in solid oak flooring and new central heating with Victorian-style radiators.' The four-bedroom home is now on the market for £599,000. At the time he converted the property, Branson had a recording studio in an old manor house a few miles away from the chapel . The four-bedroom home is divided into two levels and exposed beams run throughout the building . The village of South Leigh is in the parliamentary constituency of Witney, Prime Minister David Cameron's seat – and the poet Dylan Thomas lived in South Leigh Manor in the 1940s. But the village has another claim to fame, one that relates to The Old Chapel itself. In 1725, John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist Church, gave his first sermon in the St James the Great church in the village. It's fitting, then, that a century and a half later, 85 years after Wesley's death, the village came to have a Wesleyan Methodist chapel of its own – the very property that Branson would one day end up converting. Price: £599,000 . Location: South Leigh, Oxfordshire . Bedrooms: Four . Unique features: Converted by Sir Richard Branson; former Wesleyan chapel in the village where John Wesley gave his first sermon . At the time of his first sermon, Wesley was studying at Oxford University. The Jacobean pulpit in St James the Great bears a plaque commemorating the sermon, which is reputed to have lasted two-and-a-half hours. 'We were looking for a property in South Leigh as we had friends in the area,' says recently separated Rowan, 50 – a management consultant with two children, Jacob, 15, and Nancy, 13. 'We fell in love with the house the moment we saw it.' Rowan only found out Branson had been a previous owner on his second viewing. 'That undoubtedly increased our interest, especially when we realised what an excellent job he had done converting it into a home, without losing too many of its original features,' said Rowan. 'And the house ticked all the boxes for us. It has lots of space and is conveniently located for the A40, with good access to London.' At the time he converted the property, Branson had a recording studio in an old manor house a few miles away from the chapel . 'Branson did a superb job on the chapel,' says Rowan Andrews, the home's current owner, pictured is the kitchen . The main sitting room is spacious, with a fireplace and woodburner, and the open-plan dining area opens out on to the back garden . The building is divided into two levels and exposed beams run throughout it. Features that Branson added include pine banisters and large round windows offering views across surrounding countryside. The property has an en suite and family bathroom, and the master bedroom overlooks the back garden. A studio room could be used as an office or fifth bedroom. The main sitting room is spacious, with a fireplace and woodburner, and the open-plan dining area opens out on to the back garden. A kitchen and third reception room complete the accommodation. 'We have the benefit of open space, yet it is still cosy and warm due to a large woodburner in one of the reception rooms,' says Rowan. 'I'll definitely miss the place.' Rowan is moving to Witney so that his children can be closer to their schools and friends.
highlights: Sir Richard Branson converted The Old Chapel into a home in the 1970s .
  Entrepreneur painted doors of the country retreat his trademark bright red .
  Four-bedroom home in South Leigh, Witney, is on the market for £599,000 .
  Sir Richard held parties at the chapel and was a regular at village shop .
  fineandcountry.com, 01865 759550 .
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