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Monday, 25 November, 2002, 18:41 GMT
I spy... a cosy four-bed home
GCHQ
Part of the GCHQ site is now a plush housing estate

It is hard to imagine superhero spies with their feet up enjoying a mug of cocoa in front of the telly.

But if James Bond ever did decide to trade in the cool cars, gorgeous girls and vicious villains for a family, then there is one place that might be ideal for him to settle down.

Charlecote Manor in Cheltenham may seem like any other housing estate - but its street names hint at an altogether more glamorous history.

The plush detached homes are built on land previously owned by GCHQ (Government Communication Headquarters), and in a nod to the site's mysterious past the roads are named after secret agent actors.

Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan has a street named after him

Developer George Wimpey bought the land at Benhall from GCHQ and built 22 four and five bedroomed homes on it.

Now, for between �360,000 and �440,000, fans of spy movies from the past 40 years can live in Brosnan Drive, Lazenby Court and Caine Square.

Michael Caine was chosen for the honour because of his role as British spy Harry Palmer in the 1965 film The Ipcress File.

David Niven, who has given his name to Niven Courtyard on the Cheltenham estate, starred as 007 in the James Bond spoof Casino Royale in 1967.

Pierce Brosnan, the latest actor to play James Bond, has so far starred in four films, including the current box office hit, Die Another Day.

Australian George Lazenby played Bond just once, in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

George Lazenby
Australian Lazenby played Bond in 1969

Nigel Holland, Wimpey's sales and marketing director, said: "We like our street names to be linked to local history.

"It makes them a bit more interesting than endless Acacia Avenues, and this set of names connected to spying is particularly novel.

"The land was part of GCHQ and this is a way of acknowledging that - everyone knows the town is the home of UK spying and people in Cheltenham are proud of it."

But he said the names had not prompted more interest than expected in the homes.

He added: "Nobody has said they would prefer to live in Lazenby Court or Brosnan Drive because they think he was the best Bond."


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25 Nov 02 | Entertainment
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