Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner are reportedly set to purchase the £45million country estate that made Colin Firth a star in BBC's Pride and Prejudice. 

The couple, who live only five miles from the Grade I-Listed Georgian residence, are said to have held talks with estate agents and are 'super-interested' in acquiring the property. 

Edgcote House, which is set on 1,700 acres of park and farmland, came on the market in May and is most notable for its appearance in the 1995 adaption of Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice, starring Colin Firth. 

In one iconic scene filmed on the site, Firth - who has since been immortalised as the enigmatic Mr Darcy - famously emerges from a lake in a soaking-wet clinging shirt after an impromptu swim.

Now, former Spice Girl Halliwell, 53, and her motorsport executive husband Horner, 52, are 'desperate' to own the South Northamptonshire site, as reported by The Sun. 

A source told the paper: 'Geri and Christian know all about Edgcote, living so near. To live there would be a dream. They have been to look round several times.

'Christian and Geri have had run-ins with local planning officers at their home so would welcome a move.

'They have viewed Edgcote and their agents have held discussions with owners to acquire the estate.'

The Horners, who have two children, currently live in a £9.2million Oxfordshire mansion which features an indoor swimming pool and a working farm that has ducks, stables, miniature donkeys and goats.

However, purchasing the eight-bedroom Edgcote House will only elevate their living arrangements.

The estate - which has come onto the market for the first time in more than a century - is complete with an 8.6 acre lake fed by the River Cherwell, which forms part of the ground's formal gardens with a 'pleasure grounds' that includes a tennis court. 

It also features a 'diverse and attractive' residential portfolio including 31 additional houses, cottages and flats, as well as an old rectory - leaving potential owners facing a stamp duty bill of £5.3million. 

However, the staggering costs to own and keep Edgcote will not be a problem for the A-list couple, with Geri amassing her wealth from Spice Girls royalties and Horner said to have had a payoff of up to £80million last year from F1 team Red Bull.

Yet the estate's rich history is a far contrast to Halliwell's humble upbringings in a Watford council estate - and long predates its Pride and Prejudice reputation. 

Built between 1748 and 1754 for a wealthy London merchant, Edgcote's land was previously owned by Robert the Bruce's grandmother before being passed on briefly to Sir Thomas Cromwell and later to Anne of Cleves. 

Anne, the fourth wife of King Henry VIII, later lived at a manor house on the site which she was given by Henry as part of their divorce settlement. 

The land had also previously been the site of the Battle of Edgcote, a conflict in 1469 during the Wars of the Roses.

In 1926, the estate was acquired by Raymond Courage - of the brewing dynasty - with his son Edward, who then made Edgcote an important horse racing establishment.

In June 2005, Edgcote was quietly purchased by the late David Allen, a leisure magnate who amassed a fortune from caravan parks.

In 2012, it was reported that the controversial HS2 high speed rail line from London to Birmingham was to cut through the estate; however, this was stopped after Mr Allen, a prominent Conservative Party donor, complained and threatened to stop giving money to the party.

English Heritage subsequently advised the Department for Transport to move the train line as it was concerned about the effect it would have on heritage sites in the area.

And when the estate went on the market this year, agent Savills described its role in Pride and Prejudice as a 'testament to its Georgian authenticity.'

The house, which extends to approximately 25,908 square foot over four principal floors, is arranged around a traditional grand entrance hall and an 'exceptional suite of reception rooms'.

It is described as having 'wonderful features' including an 'ornate cornicing and plasterwork, hand-decorated wallpaper, intricately carved fireplaces, and wood panelling'.

Savills said the home's 'open-well mahogany 'great stair' hall as 'a showpiece of the house, adorned with rich panelling and decorative wall mouldings designed for the display of artworks'. 

Crispin Holborow, from Savills, concluded that the site is 'an exceptional example of a traditional English country estate.'

Mr Holborow said: 'Both the house and its setting have evolved gently over centuries, preserving the integrity and character of this classically Georgian property. 

'Today, the estate offers all the key elements associated with an asset of this calibre, combining a mix of residential and agricultural holdings along with diversified income streams from respected racing yards.

'In addition, the potential to reinstate a shoot further enhances its appeal, particularly when considered alongside the estate’s prime central location.'