James Corden's £8.5m dream family home still boarded up two years later
James Corden's £8.5m dream family home still boarded up two years later
James Corden and his family purchased Templecombe House in Oxfordshire back in 2020 with plans to move back to the UK after eight years in America, but it remains untouched
The home owned by James Corden which he is planning to pull down
The £8.5m 'dream' family home that James Corden bought for his return to the UK remains untouched - more than two years after plans were approved. 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 in America.
In January 2023, plans to knock down the existing property and build a new six-bedroom mansion were given the go-ahead, subject to certain conditions. Before work could start, Corden's representatives had to agree to a series of 'obligations' through a section 106 legal agreement with the local planning authority, Wokingham Borough Council.
Despite initial opposition from the local council and English Heritage, an agreement was finally reached, clearing the way for James to start work on his dream home. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter .
However, more than two years since approval was granted, recent aerial photos show no visible progress has been made on the site, which remains empty with no signs indicating when further action will be taken.
Planning documents related to the original application suggest 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 approved once these elements of his plans were removed.
The home owned by James Corden which he is planning to pull down
(Image: SWNS )
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Corden was required to make several adjustments during the planning process, including implementing lighting measures to safeguard bats, badgers, and glow worms. Furthermore, he was instructed to carry out landscaping to preserve the 45 granite megalithic stones on the property, reports Gloucestershire Live.
He was also 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 initially discovered 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.
James Corden
Jersey officials had previously expressed their desire to return the monument back to the island and were hoping for support from the television presenter. 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 after Templecombe House had fallen into disrepair and attracted urban explorers.
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 design also includes two study areas, three bathrooms and a boot room.
The stone circle at the home of James Corden.
The first floor will consist of 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 last year, which 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.
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