‘I’ve rented the same flat in South Kensington since 1973’

WHAT APPEALED MOST TO YOU? It’s a beautiful detached cottage, parts of which date back to the 17th century, and built of traditional Cotswold stone. There’s an attractive inglenook fireplace in the sitting room, but the feature that really attracted me was the oldest room which had obviously been a barn in previous centuries. It’s a striking space with old wooden beams. Its high ceilings also made it perfect for practising the cello because the acoustics are what you might find in a concert hall.

People always thought I came here to relax, but I actually came to do some concentrated work on, say, a new cello concerto. I learnt a lot of music here, including new pieces that composers such as Philip Glass and Malcolm Arnold had written for me. Well-known guests included the violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin and the jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?

I spent my childhood in a rambling, rundown Victorian block of flats called Harrington Court in South Kensington. I lived there with my father, William, who was director of the London College of Music; my mother, Jean, who taught piano; my maternal grandmother; my brother Andrew and lyricist Tim Rice; and the young concert pianist John Lill.

It was a crazy, hothouse atmosphere and incredibly noisy, with almost everybody playing an instrument. It was also very eccentric. My father kept a monkey and two mice. He would put the mice on his shoulder and they would run around. But we also had two Siamese cats. Inevitably, there was a bad incident. I look back at that time with immense affection, but I don’t think Andrew does. He had issues – particularly with John living there – and the way that the emphasis was on classical music rather than his own musical interests.

WHERE IS YOUR LONDON BASE? I’ve rented the same flat in South Kensington since 1973. When I was 22, the block where my parents lived was bought by new landlords, who could only evict us if they offered us a similar property nearby. They didn’t have an equivalent-sized flat, so we were offered two smaller flats, and I was able to live in one on my own, just down the road.

Living on the top floor can present problems, however. Sometimes Jiaxin and I have come back from a concert, carrying two cellos and suitcases, and the lift has been out of order.

Bach Explored, Lloyd Webbers Revealed – by Julian and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber tours the UK until March 27: julianlloydwebber.com