Former home of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts goes up for sale
Can’t You Hear Me Knocking? Former Grade II-listed country home of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts that’s set in 52 acres of rolling parkland goes up for sale for £7.95m
- Watts lived in Foscombe House in Gloucestershire between 1973 and 1983
A Grade II-listed property – the former home of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts – has gone up for sale.
Foscombe House, set in 52 acres of rolling parkland near the village of Ashleworth in Gloucestershire, is on the market for £7.95million.
As well as five bedrooms in the main building, the site is also home to a stable block converted into a swimming pool complex and a coach house formerly used as a recording studio by the Stones.
The impressive Victorian Gothic property is topped with a distinctive castellated tower with turret and was built around 1866 by architect Thomas Fulljames.
Watts lived at Foscombe between 1976 and 1983 with his wife Shirley and daughter Seraphina after joining the band in 1963.
Foscombe House, set in 52 acres of rolling parkland near the village of Ashleworth in Gloucestershire, is on the market for £7.95million
Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts (pictured in 1989) lived at Foscombe between 1976 and 1983 with his wife Shirley and daughter Seraphina
There is also an original orangery with period arched windows – and three reception rooms with fireplaces and bay windows
The house is incredibly spacious with three reception rooms and space for 20 parked cars
The late drummer, who died aged 84 in 2021, converted the coach house into a music studio for the Stones, where they could rehearse, record and practice their music in private. It is now a two-bedroom guest house.
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Situated on top of Foscombe Hill and in 52 acres of rolling parkland, the extensive grounds consist of wildflower gardens, meadows, a Japanese garden, two ponds and a canopied terrace.
Designed to attract wildlife, the likes of nesting ducks, red deer and roe deer roam freely amongst the gardens.
The main building, built of warm toned blue lias stone with ashlar dressings, is welcomed by a Tudor arch over the front door with carved stone leaf decoration and marble colonettes.
At the top of the castellated tower there is a smoking room with gothic windows, which leads onto a roof terrace.
There is also an original orangery with period arched windows – and three reception rooms with fireplaces and bay windows.
The converted stables is now home to a swimming pool, steam room, sauna and resistance pool, as well as a fitted kitchen and large leisure room.
Meanwhile the detached vehicle store has space for 20 cars and even has facilities to bring in a helicopter.
It has kept original features such as bay windows, with stunning fireplaces including with a stag’s head
The late drummer, who died aged 84 in 2021, converted the coach house into a music studio for the Stones. It is now a two-bedroom guest house
In the past the estate has also been owned by the descendants of Joseph Bramah – the inventor of the hydraulic press – and novelist and screenwriter Derek Marlowe.
Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the famous guide writer and arbiter of English architecture, was left in raptures by a visit to Foscombe.
He described it in his Buildings of Britain as ‘an unspoiled Victorian fantasy in an unsurpassed situation commanding exquisite views in all directions’.
Watts was a member of the Rolling Stones for 58 years before his death in 2021.
He was nicknamed ‘The Wembley Whammer’ by Mick Jagger and cited jazz as a major influence on his drumming style.
After his death, Jagger said he missed his former bandmate ‘on so many levels’, while Keith Richards described him as the ‘engine’ of the group in a 2022 interview.
He is often regarded as one of the greatest drummers of all time.
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