Listing of the Day
Location: Essex, England Price: £7.5 million (about $9.84 million) Like its famous owner, Sir Rod Stewart, the Wood House is a one-of-a-kind English classic: a late 19th century home on a private 25-acre estate near Epping Forest.
Mr. Stewart, who has lived in the home for 30 years, is selling the property with a heavy heart. The veteran rocker previously said he expected to live in the mansion for the rest of his life, but now, he and his wife, Penny Lancaster, are moving to Durrington House in Harlow Essex to be closer to their two children’s school.
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“Till this day, the drive from the gate to the house takes my breath away,” Mr. Stewart said in a written statement provided to Mansion Global by the listing agent. “If only we could have picked the house up and moved it. It’s very hard to say goodbye, and the kids still hope to go back for a visit one day.”
Listing agent Tim Phillips, of Savills Country Department, said the property is everything a buyer could wish for in a country estate: “incredibly private, yet within easy commuting distance of London.”
The Stats
The 12,568-square-foot main residence has six bedrooms with private bathrooms. There are four reception rooms, a game room with a bar, an office and a library. The property also features a self-contained guest cottage and staff accommodations.
Design Pedigree
The main house is Jacobean in style, with heavy oak mullions, full-height leaded bay windows and detailed pargetting—patterned plasterwork typically found in the English counties of Suffolk and Essex.
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The home was built in the 1800s to the design of architects Walter Earnest Tower and Charles Eamer Kempe, who were inspired by the Ancient House—also known as the Sparrow House—in Ipswich. Kempe was a Victorian stained glass designer who made windows for churches and cathedrals. The Wood House features several examples of his work.
Created by English designer and socialite Nicholas Haslam—to Mr. Stewart’s specifications—the interiors recall the home’s Jacobean and Victorian period features, including elaborate plasterwork for the living room ceiling.
Celebrity Cachet
Mr. Stewart has written many songs in this home—the drawing room is where he penned his last two albums, “Time” and “Another Country.” But the Wood House was attracting celebrity guests long before the singer took ownership. Winston Churchill was said to have stayed there during the Blitz in the Second World War.
Amenities
For soccer lovers, the house comes with a full-sized pitch. The Liverpool, Newcastle and Celtic football clubs have trained there. Tennis players will find the all-weather tennis court particularly attractive. There’s also a heated swimming pool with a pool house. A smaller house overlooks a boating lake. Horse lovers will appreciate the property’s equestrian facilities: stables, paddocks and a floodlit riding arena.
Agent: Tim Phillips, Savills Country Department
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