Work is taking place on the demolition of a unique property purchased by celebrity James Corden in Berkshire, with a traditional mansion house being set to replace it.
Mr Corden, who recently starred in the finale of the hit TV sitcom Gavin & Stacey purchased Templecombe House for £8 million in December 2020.
The house was built in the 1960s in Art Deco style, with grounds that feature a tennis court and even a Druidic Circle.
Mr Corden’s agents Atlantic Swiss Agency won approval to demolish the existing house and replace it with a traditional mansion from the planning authority Wokingham Borough Council in January 2023.
The council gave the verdict on the application as it is the planning authority for the village of Remenham which the site is located in.
Designs for the replacement home show that it will be two storeys tall.
The latest news on the project is that construction details for the new building have been approved by the council.
These details relate to the protection of animals and trees and flood mitigation measures prior to the construction.
The detailed plans were approved on March 28, 2024.
The Templecombe House site has been subject to trespass by explorers.
Three videos posted on YouTube in March 2022 show explorers wandering around the existing house, showing it in a dilapidated state, with swastika graffiti being seen at the pool house connected to the main property.
Two of the videos also show the Druidic circle, known as the Mont de la Ville dolmen, which was transferred from St Helier to the Templecombe estate by Henry Seymour Conway, the Governor of Jersey in 1788.
The Gavin & Stacey finale which aired BBC One on Christmas Day 2024 was the UK’s most-watched scripted show across all broadcasters and streamers since records began with approximately 19.3 million views.
Mr Corden, who grew up near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire is one of the co-creators of the show and starred as Smithy, Gavin’s best friend.
You can view the approved detailed plans for the replacement house project by typing reference 233102 into Wokingham Borough Council’s planning portal.
The project initially involved the creation of a new separate pool house to replace the existing swimming facilities.
However, this was removed from the project after an objection from the English Heritage organisation, which raised concerns about the proximity of the pool house to the listed stone circle.
Although there were indications that plans for a new pool house would re-emerge at a later stage, no applications for a pool house on the site have appeared on the council’s planning portal.
