Game of Thrones alum Kit Harington and Rose Leslie have preserved an appropriately medieval feature of their old estate in the U.K. — a real moat. According to a report by The Daily Mail, Harington and Leslie have been looking to save the collapsing moat on their sprawling property for structural and historical purposes. Their local government just gave them permission to get the repairs done at last.
Harington and Leslie live in a massive rural estate in Suffolk, England worth almost $2.5 million, but it needs some work. The couple has reportedly been worried about the moat on their property ever since a section of its six-foot wall collapsed. This could have pulled the whole garden into the water and damaged other parts of the moat as well as a footbridge going over it. However, their request to repair these issues was complicated by the conservation group Historic England, which raised concerns that ancient remains and artifacts would be damaged or lost in the process.
Historic England presented a 2019 study which found that Harington and Leslie’s property have “a high potential for medieval and post-medieval archaeology.” The Babergh District Council took this into consideration, but ultimately gave Harington and Leslie permission to begin repairs on the moat — provided there would be “no significant impact on known archaeological sites or areas with archaeological potential.”
Harington and Leslie may now hire trained professionals to restore and repair the moat with the supervision of an archaeologist. Planning officials issued a statement saying: “The site is located in a large plot with no immediate neighbouring properties. The replacement wall is to go round an existing moat that has fallen into disrepair. It is noted the concern raised by Historic England however following a response from Suffolk County Council’s Archaeological team detailing that no further archaeological works are required then it is considered that it would be unreasonable to request further information.”
News of this project naturally set fans to laughing, knowing that Leslie and Harington met while filming a medieval-inspired fantasy show together. Harington played Jon Snow for a decade on Game of Thrones, while Leslie played his first love interest for two seasons. The couple fell in love for real while filming their isolated scenes and were married before the show was even finished.
After the show was over, Harington and Leslie picked up this historic home and spent the coronavirus pandemic holed up there. In an interview with Make Magazine back in September, Leslie jokingly called it “the house that Jon Snow built.” She described the joys of living in such an old and historic home.
“It’s incredibly old,” she said. “We have a thatched roof, which currently has an enormous hornet’s nest in it. I do love to think about the house and all the people who have lived there. Were they happy, how did they live? All the families passing under those ancient beams… What a glorious thing to be able to run to the countryside and recoup. It’s a great privilege to be surrounded by greenery, birdsong and hedgerows, and our delightful neighbors. It’s so peaceful.”
