Helena Bonham-Carter has bought a $3 million mansion once owned by her great-grandfather, former British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith. The actress and her director husband, Tim Burton, are to settle in the Oxfordshire home with two-year-old son, Billy-Ray. The eight-bedroom house was used by the liberal Prime Minister for government meetings and was later taken over by Helena's grandmother Violet, Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury.

It is believed the couple, who met on the set of 'Planet of the Apes' in 2001, are keen on the lavish property because of its secluded nature. An insider is quoted in Daily Mirror newspaper as saying: "Helena and Tim are totally over the moon. Its eight-and-a-half acre garden borders down a backwater on the River Thames. It's absolutely gorgeous.

"More importantly for them, when in the house or garden, you can't see or hear anything from the nearby road - the house has total privacy."