I’m 32 and about to inherit this 450 year old mansion that starred in Rivals and Poldark, but my biggest worry is how to pay for heating bills

A man set to inherit a 450-year-old country house in the Cotswolds, featured in hit series Poldark and Rivals, has revealed his biggest expense will be paying his heating bills.

James Lowsley-Williams, 32, moved into Chavenage House – a beautiful Elizabethan home with soft graying stone and expansive lawns – in 2020 after inheriting the estate owned by his family since 1891.

James, a former professional cyclist turned YouTuber, currently manages part of the estate with his fiancée Emma Frampton, but in 2026, when the lease on the main house expires, the couple will take Chavenage under their wing.

In an interview with The Telegraph, The heir to the property told how he plans to carry out some necessary work on the Elizabethan house which sits on a 1,900 hectare estate.

While most men of James’ age are only just getting onto the property ladder, Chavenage’s newest owner doesn’t have to worry about paying off a mortgage.

Pictured Chavenage House in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, where Rivals was filmed

James Lowsley-Williams, 32, stands to inherit 450-year-old Cotswolds country house

Chavenage now returns to the small screen after starring in the Disney+ hit Rivals

But while James and his fiancée’s life in Chavenage seems idyllic, the couple are concerned about the costs associated with running the house, and have revealed that their biggest expense comes from heating.

Still, the couple have a few ideas up their sleeve to help cover costs, with plans to set up overnight accommodation and guided walks through the beautiful rolling hills of Gloucestershire.

They also document their life in Chavenage on Instagram and TikTok and will soon be launching a YouTube channel for the estate.

“YouTube is my passion, content creation is my passion,” James said. ‘The house is a story I want to tell.’

“It will allow me and Emma to see the joy that comes with running the estate because we enjoy it,” he says, “and we create content that we enjoy creating. Yes, it will be a sustainable and return-generating business, but the main goal is to do something that we enjoy and that we think the world should see.”

The house was built in 1560 by the Stephens family, who became rich from wool. They stayed for nine generations before the Lowsley-Williamses moved in.

Since then, Chavenage has seen a ton of action over the years, having been used for filming since 1972.

Bond girl Gemma Arterton and Oscar-winning Eddie Redmayne romp naked on the rather thick mattress for BBC’s 2008 version of Tess Of The D’Urbervilles.

The popular BBC series Poldark was also filmed at Chavenage House, bringing busloads of tourists to the estate

But it is best known for its appearance in the hit BBC series Poldark, and has attracted dozens of fans hungry for the show’s iconic setting over the years.

Chavenage now returns to the small screen after starring in Disney+’s brash and raunchy hit Rivals.

The show – which is an adaptation of a 1988 novel of the same name – features big-name actors such as David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer.