Llewelyn-Bowen to build new home ... in his garden
MAkeover king Laurence Llewelyn- Bowen owns a £1.6million manor house in Gloucestershire, a barn conversion he bought from Prince Charles and a holiday home in Cornwall. But he has still complained about struggling financially ‘in a middle-class way’.
‘We are extremely well off, but it’s in property,’ he said. ‘We’re at a critical point.’
Now the Changing rooms star is planning to expand his empire still further. Laurence and wife Jackie have filed plans to build a three-bed house in the garden of their Jacobean mansion near Cirencester, Glos.
The proposed 5,000 sq ft house will be designed in an Arts and Crafts style, connected to the couple’s grand 16th-century home.
They had hoped to sell the main house (pictured) but took it off the market last year after buyers weren’t tempted — even though LlewelynBowen toned down its garish decor to make it more appealing.
The plans say: ‘The proposed dwelling will be physically separated by a 1.5m-high natural stone wall, although a pedestrian gate will allow access between the two dwellings.’
The interior design guru owns his holiday home in Port Isaac, north Cornwall, and has urged others to follow his example. He said: ‘I’m all for people coming here and buying second homes.’ However, his view enraged Cornish locals, who said: ‘The Llewelyn-Bowens and their ilk are destroying local communities.’