Take that! Robbie loses house battle
Led Zep legend Page triumphs in planning dispute
IT was more closely fought than any chart battle or awards race.
But now the three-month pl anning r ow between neighbours Jimmy Page and Robbie Williams has ended – with victory for the Led Zeppelin star.
Former Take That singer Williams, 41, has abandoned plans to revamp his £17.5million Grade II-listed property, including major work excavating a huge two - storey basement.
Veteran guitarist Page, 71, fought fiercely to stop the development going ahead, for fear of damage to the delicate carvings and intricately painted frescoes of his own Grade Ilisted property.
The rock star, worth £100million, has closely guarded The Tower House for more than four decades and his restorative works have been labelled ‘ exemplary’ by Engl is h Heritage.
The house is filled with beautiful antiques and is rich with detailed paintwork.
One imposing fireplace depicts a medieval scene, lending the mansion the feel of a castle, in keeping with i ts austere but i mpressive exterior.
Williams, with a fortune of £120million, bought the neighbouring Woodland House – once owned by late film direc- tor Michael Winner – in 2013. He lives there with his wife, Ayda Field, 35, and their two children, Theodora Rose, two, and four-month- old Charlton Valentine.
He submitted a series of planning proposals seeking permission to redevelop the 46-room home, including building a recording studio and an indoor swimming pool.
Page immediately objected, writing a strongly-worded letter to the council warning that ‘ the consequences f or the building fabric and decorative finish of The Tower House may well be catastrophic’ and hiring a series of architects and engineers to blast the plans. Williams has now withdrawn his application.
Page, who is reportedly dating actress Scarlett Sabet, 25, also fought an earlier application from another neighbour, when he spoke of his home’s interior: ‘Many of these finishes and fittings are extremely delicate and, of course, irreplaceable and include stained glass, decorative plaster work , painted ceramic tiling and painted frescoes.
‘The interior is complete and unblemished without any significant damage or subsequent alterations.’
The Tower House was built in the 1870s by the Victorian architect William Burges to be his home. When it was threatened with demolition in the 1960s, John Betjeman and Evelyn Waugh came to its defence.