James Corden's crumbling £8.5m 'dream' mansion left untouched for years

Daily Mirror

12-05-2025

James Corden's 'dream' £8.5million mansion remains untouched, despite plans being approved more than two years ago. The former Late Late Show host purchased Templecombe House in Oxfordshire in 2020 with plans to move back to the UK
Actor James Corden 's £8.5m 'dream' family home in the UK remains untouched, more than two years after he got the go-ahead for his plans. The Gavin and Stacey star snapped up Templecombe House in Oxfordshire back in 2020, with hopes of moving there with his family after eight years stateside.
In January 2023, he was given the green light to knock down the existing property and build a new six-bedroom mansion, subject to certain conditions. Before work could start, Corden's team had to agree to a series of 'obligations' through a section 106 legal agreement with Wokingham Borough Council.
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Despite initial pushback from the local council and English Heritage, an agreement was finally reached, clearing the way for James to start work on his dream home. However, recent aerial snaps show no visible progress has been made on the site, which remains empty with no signs of when work will begin.
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Planning documents from the original application reveal that he initially wanted new leisure facilities including an indoor and outdoor pool, a sauna and steam room as part of the development. However, his proposal was only given the thumbs up once these elements were taken out of his plans.
Corden was required to make several adjustments during the planning process, including implementing lighting measures to safeguard bats, badgers, and glow worms. He was also instructed to carry out landscaping to preserve the 45 granite megalithic stones on the property, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Furthermore, Corden was directed to commission a series of test trenches across the site and permit archaeologists to work there. English Heritage had expressed concerns that the pool house was too close to the historic collection of 45 vertical granite megalithic stones that form a circle in the Grade II listed grounds.
The Mont de la Ville 'dolmen' was first unearthed on the island in the 18th century and gifted to then Jersey governor Henry Seymour Conway in 1788. Field Marshal Conway, as he later became known, had the dolmen transported to his Henley-on-Thames estate, where it still stands today.
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Jersey officials had previously expressed their hopes to return the monument back to the island and were seeking support from the TV star. Corden came into possession of the Mont de la Ville dolmen when he bought Templecombe House in Berkshire.
Mr Corden and his wife, Julia, shelled out £8.5million for the property near Henley-on-Thames, a sprawling 43-acre estate that includes the dolmen.
The original country house, constructed in 1869, is thought to have served as a boarding school from 1948 until its demolition in 1961, when it was replaced with the current house. The decision to approve the rebuild came as Templecombe House had fallen into disrepair and was attracting urban explorers.
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Corden has been granted planning permission to replace the existing home with a two-storey, six-bedroom property featuring a basement, a spacious internal courtyard, kitchen, living room, dining room and a breakfast room that opens onto a large terrace area with a playroom. The new home will also boast two study areas, three bathrooms and a boot room.
The first floor will house five ensuite bedrooms and a main bedroom with two ensuites, opening onto a balcony. Documents reveal that the existing tennis court will be retained, but extensive landscaping work will be undertaken across the site.
Detailed construction plans for the new building were approved by the council in March of last year. These included measures for the protection of wildlife and trees, as well as flood mitigation strategies prior to construction.
It was previously reported that James, his wife Julia and their three children planned to move into the Henley-on-Thames house, located on the border of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, as soon as possible.