Crooner’s Cottage
Country pad of singing legend Roger Whittaker (and, no, it’s not in Durham Town!)
POPULAR singer and guitarist Roger Whittaker was a regular in the charts in the late 1960s and 1970s and a frequent guest on the variety and chat-show circuit, even fronting his own TV show at one stage. His trademark whistling and strong baritone voice on hit songs Durham Town, The Wind Beneath My Wings, I Don’t Believe In If Anymore, The Last Farewell and Albany meant he spent a lot of time on the road in Britain, the US and Europe.
Whittaker was a huge star in Germany – in fact, he is one of the biggest-selling artists ever in the country. The 1975 song The Last Farewell reached No 1 in 11 countries, and even Elvis Presley recorded a version of it. Whittaker also played at George Bush Snr’s golden wedding anniversary party.
And when he wasn’t performing, at the height of his fame, the bearded songwriter retreated to a gorgeous house in the north Essex countryside bought with the fruits of his labours – he has sold more than 60 million records worldwide.
Whittaker, 81, and his wife Natalie now live in the South of France, but their former cottage, The Old House, is on the market for £2.25 mil- lion. The Grade II listed thatched property boasts four bedrooms, a huge heated indoor pool, a tennis court and gym. There is also a separate thatched three-bedroom cottage for staff, guests or for office use, a stable block with tack room, paddocks, manege, large decking areas, three acres of grazing land, and an acre of formal gardens.
The main house has exposed beams, redbrick open fireplaces and wooden flooring. There are two reception rooms and a large kitchen/diner. The Old House is in the small village of Duddenhoe End, between Royston and the market town of Saffron Walden. There is a mainline station at nearby Audley End for trains to London and Cambridge, and Stansted Airport is just 15 miles away.
The current owners, Jenny and Paris Moayedi, moved in in 1987 after falling in love with the property immediately.
‘When we were viewing the house, we were in the log cabin that Roger used as a recording studio and the radio was on and his song Durham Town was playing, which was our favourite song by him,’ recalls Jenny. ‘We also used to live in Durham and our daughter was born there in the 1970s, so it seemed serendipitous and that we were meant to buy it. The cabin is now our gym and billiards room.
‘ We’ve renovated the indoor pool and totally redesigned the garden with a landscape architect so we now have three interconnected ponds – one stocked with koi carp – a large decking area and a treehouse.’ She adds: ‘We refurbished the other cottage by putting in a new bathroom and kitchen, and it has been great, especially for our four grandchildren. We used the lounge as a playroom for them, and when they stayed with us I’d sleep in the cottage with them. If any family or friends are visiting, they have complete privacy there.’
Jenny and Paris, who have been married for 55 years, are selling the house as they want to downsize. ‘We’ll miss the pool and gym the most,’ admits Jenny. ‘It has been so handy to pop down the garden and have a swim and workout. I’m sure we wouldn’t have done as much exercise if we’d had to drive to a sports centre.’