By Thom Kennedy

Last updated 08:21, Friday, 03 October 2008

A Lake District cottage which inspired some of a British film-maker’s most famous works is up for sale.

Coombe Cottage

Ken Russell, the man behind The Who’s rock opera Tommy and Oscar winner Women In Love, lived with his second wife Vivian Russell in Borrowdale near Keswick.

And now Coombe Cottage, the house they shared until their divorce in 1991, has been put up for sale with an asking price of £625,000.

It was while living at the house that Mr Russell made Tommy, and he wrote several of his other films in the Borrowdale cottage.

It also inspired his wife, who has lived in the property for more than 30 years, who built a career around writing and photography at the cottage.

Mrs Russell said: “It is completely different from where I come from in New England.

“Ken wrote scripts for films he made up here. He lived here for 20 years, so all his work emanated from here and he did a lot of local TV programmes as well.

“I watch his old films and see the local baker or the man who ran the health shop.

“All our friends and our kids’ friends were asked if they wanted to be extras, there’s lots of local people in the films.”

Ken Russell bought the 19th century slate cottage in 1972 and began extending and refurbishing it. His wife moved in in 1977 and the American has remained at the property ever since, bringing up two children there.

The five-bedroom property is close to Derwentwater and looks out across the fells.

The garden has been designed over the course of 30 years by Mrs Russell, with the valley’s notorious rainfall statistics in mind.

Mr Russell moved away in 1992 and now Mrs Russell plans to move on from the property. After writing several books about gardening in the Lake District, the Daily Telegraph columnist is moving to the coast.

She said: “I didn’t want to leave Cumbria and thought I would move to the sea so I have found a cottage near Silloth. It is a new life and a new chapter.”

The house is being sold by Cumbrian Properties.