Yahoo Finance Home of the Week: Singer Robbie Williams’s $9.2 Million English Manor House Sits on 72 Acres of Verdant Countryside
Singer Robbie Williams’s revelations about the “creepiness” of his rambling English country manor house may come back to haunt him.
Speaking about the home last year on Instagram Live, the British superstar said the house, parts of which date back to the 17th century, “gives (him) the creeps”, and that his eldest daughter had been scared to sleep in one of the rooms. “I said to her, ‘Do you like the bedroom? Do you like the house?’ And she said, ‘That room scares me’. I said, ‘OK, it scares me too. You don’t have to sleep there anymore,’” the 47-year-old former Take That lead singer explained.
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While the comments no doubt made for fun Instagram Live fan interaction, they might not help Williams’ British realtor Knight Frank find a buyer for the newly-listed property. But there is good news for any potential non-ghost-fearing house-hunters: The current $9.2 (£6.75) million asking price is around $1.8 million less than the roughly $11 million Williams paid for the estate back in 2009.
Photo: Knight Frank
Williams’ Compton Bassett House, named after the leafy country hamlet of Compton Bassett in rural Wiltshire county, around 85 miles west of London, dates all the way back to 1659. The current house was built in 1935 on the site of the original home’s stable block, and was extensively modified in the 1990s, when it was owned by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Sir Norman Foster. (Among Sir Norman’s impressive body of work is Apple’s HQ in Cupertino, California, the Millau Viaduct in southern France and the pickle-shaped 30 St. Mary Axe tower in London, affectionately known as “the Gherkin”.)
Photo: Knight Frank
Today Compton Bassett House stands in roughly 72 acres of picturesque countryside. A meandering driveway from the main gated entrance, just opposite the 11th century St. Swithin’s Church, leads to the home’s graveled entrance. The main house itself is a long, narrow, three-story structure which sprawls over almost 20,000 square feet and features seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms.
A true surprise-and-delight highlight of the home is the so-called “leisure complex” filling most of the lower level. Here, as an escape from the fickle British weather, is a 73-foot indoor heated swimming pool, a hot tub, an adjoining sauna and steam room and a health-club-sized gym. This level also features a large wine cave and self-contained one-bedroom apartment for staff.
Photo: Knight Frank
Up on the first floor is a magnificent 43-foot drawing room with billiards table and stone fireplace. Down a long hallway you’ll find the vast principal bedroom suite with his and hers bathrooms, dressing rooms and a study. On the roof level there are five more ensuite bedrooms (unfortunately, the listing doesn’t reveal which of these gave Williams and his daughter “the creeps”.)
Photo: Knight Frank
Step outside and you’ll find acres of manicured gardens, rolling lawns and woodlands. There’s also Williams’ beloved soccer pitch, a tennis court with summerhouse and a one-bedroom, tile-roofed, 732-square-foot guest cottage. The expansive grounds also feature endless walking trails, horse riding paths and even a quad bike trail which Williams reportedly used for “rage racing” to blow off steam.
Can’t be bothered with the drive or the 65-minute train ride to London? The house also comes with its own helicopter landing pad, plus a stand-alone hangar and workshop.
Photo: Knight Frank
Don’t expect to see the Williams family (the singer is married to American model and actress Ayda Field) during any viewings, as they recently moved to a $32 million secluded villa overlooking Switzerland’s Lake Geneva. The couple also owns a 10-bedroom mansion in Beverly Hills that the singer bought in 2015 for $32.7 million, as well as a home in London’s tony Kensington neighborhood that the he snapped-up in 2014 for $24 million.
Check out more images of the estate below:
Photo: Knight Frank
Photo: Knight Frank
Photo: Knight Frank
Photo: Knight Frank
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