Source: Telegraph
Manchester United's Gary Neville has shrubbery at £7m mansion shaped into 'MUFC'
The 18 foot by ten foot shrubbery can be clearly seen by visitors to the hillside farmhouse on an embankment opposite Neville's front driveway.[LNB]One local said: 'The design of the property is self indulgence but to have a shrubbery shaped in the letters of his football club is beyond belief. [LNB] Related ArticlesArsenal's Cesc Fabregas accused of spitting - Phil Brown has a spat with Arsene Wenger[LNB]Gary Neville builders create Liverpool FC shrine under Manchester United player's pool[LNB]Blackberry Farm, Smoky Mountains: overview[LNB]Manchester United are Liverpool's bogey team[LNB]Property market: What the boom years did for us[LNB]'Why can't he grow normal privet hedges like everyone else. This was once a traditional old farming community and now it looks like something out of Beverley Hills.' [LNB]Neville bought an entire 18th century farming hamlet near Bolton, Greater Manchester five years ago so he could convert in it into a 12-bedroomed mansion for himself and wife Emma. [LNB]But there were hitches with builders about the design of the property as it was due to be finished in time for his wedding in June 2007. [LNB]The defender, who earns around £90,000 a week, held his wedding reception there but work had to continue on the property. [LNB]The property is dominated at the front by a sweeping driveway before visitors head up an imposing flight of stairs leading to a huge front door entrance before visitors are greeted in a grandiose front hall. [LNB]At the back of the property is an indoor swimming pool, gym and reception rooms where Neville and his friends can look over glorious views of the countryside. [LNB]The home also has its own private golf course, gym, stables and a cinema. [LNB]Originally built in 1784, the L-shaped farmhouse - complete with timber beams and gargoyles - formed the centrepiece of the derelict hamlet that was once home to 14 families. [LNB]A census in 1851 revealed it had a thriving population of 60, including a wheelwright, labourer and a loom weaver. [LNB]But after Neville bought the land a planning report warned the site was 'at risk of deteriorating beyond repair unless it attracts significant investment'. [LNB]It said Neville's investment would 'restore the site as a hamlet so it can remain as a long-term part of the local area. [LNB]'Over recent years, the hamlet has lost the majority of its population, with many of the houses becoming dilapidated or being used as farmhouse outbuildings.' [LNB]
