The Sussex mansion of a member of one of the biggest bands of the 80s is for sale, and it's an Art Deco delight
This gorgeous house in a village near Horsham is on the market for only the second time since it was built.
Classically beautiful architecture. Art Deco flourishes. Post-industrial elements. Exquisite landscapes. Wood-panelled walls which could have come from a Jacobean mansion, on which are hung huge, flat-screen TVs. An top floor space where gym machinery and a punchbag sit alongside what appears to be a dentist’s chair. Storries, in the village of Itchingfield, near Horsham, is unlike any house we’ve ever seen. Who, as Loyd Grossman used to say on Through The Keyhole, would live in a home like this?
The answer is Alan Wilder, a member of the 1980s and 1990s pop band Depeche Mode, who've sold 100 million records in their long careers and been inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. That clock in the form of a CD suddenly makes more sense.
Art Deco furniture and fittings are everywhere: the lights, sofa and rug are beautifully-fitted to the house.
After more than 35 years here, Wilder has decided to downsize. His family home is on the market with Strutt & Parker, who quote a guide price of £3.75 million.
Wilder bought Storries in 1990, when Depeche Mode were at the height of their fame (their biggest hit, Enjoy the Silence, was released that year). He was just the second owner of the house since it was built: the original owners were Eric Mayo and his wife Edith, whose father — the mining investor Herbert Latilla — had the place built as a wedding gift.
The house is approached via a long, private driveway.
The casual panache of the bona fide rock star shows up in the bold furnishings and decorations in the house, but this is a country home that still drips with 1930s character.
The kitchen, with its original Aga and Art Deco tiling on floor and walls, has a timewarp feel which makes the modern coffee maker, and the microwave in the adjoining pantry, seem almost anachronistic. Things that look out of place are the exception, though: Wilder has spent a huge amount of time sourcing Art Deco elements for this house. The tables, armchairs, sofas and light fittings all feel spot on.
Over the years, it’s seen plenty of changes — not least during the Second World War, when the Mayos allowed their home to be used as a lookout for the Home Guard; indeed, Eric Mayo even served himself, alongside the real-life Captain Mainwarings and Corporal Joneses who would apparently set up camp in the sheds, and climb onto the flat roof section in turns to peer across the South Downs for impending danger. The juxtaposition of that image with one of the kings of 1980s synth-pop is irresistible.
Alan Wilder (second from right) with Depeche Mode in New York at the beginning of their first world tour, on January 22, 1982. Pictured are, from left, Dave Gahan, Andy Fletcher, Wilder, and Martin Gore.
One of the additions made by the current owner came in 1991, with the creation of what amounts to a full-on health club that occupies the entire top floor of the house. The list of facilities is extraordinary for a private home: there’s a steam room, sauna, flotation room, plunge pool and the aforementioned gym equipment — including the dentist’s-slash-barber’s chair, so you can get a haircut and a wet shave after finishing your workout.
Even more striking than that, though, is the area dubbed ‘the courtyard’, designed and built in 2000 by architect Gareth Wilkins. While most of the house feels essentially Art Deco meets Arts-and-Crafts, this is a truly modern space that feels just right for a turn-of-the-millennium project.
A polished concrete floor sits beneath a striking cantilevered steel and glass roof, effectively turning what was originally an open space into a huge, light-filled room. A bar, made from concrete, sits to one side, while a pair of Belfast sinks against one wall were salvaged from the estate’s former coach house. There’s even a specially-designed integrated fridge that's designed to be wheeled in and out as required.
Storries really would make a perfect family house for multi-generational living. With eight bedrooms and 12,000 sq ft there’s space enough for plenty of people to live side-by-side without stepping on each others’ toes, and there are things to put a smile on the face of all ages, from the tennis court, swimming pool and stables, to the provision of a lift which was installed five years ago. There’s even a separate chauffeur’s lodge within the 29-acre site, ideal for grown-up children or older relatives.
The house has recently been relaunched via Strutt & Parker, having been on the market a couple of years ago with different agents at £4.5 million. You sense that the delay hasn’t bothered Wilder too much, with the classically-trained musician-turned-keyboard player, composer and producer telling local press a few years ago that although they’re downsizing due to ‘the sheer size of the place’, they won’t be going far. ‘I have really loved being in this area,’ Wilder told the Sussex Express; that feels like a good sign.
There’s another good sign here too. Rather like vintage cars that have had only one or two former owners, there’s a peace of mind that comes with buying a place that’s been in the same hands for decades. You feel it's been a happy, much-loved home; and we can’t help but feel that the next owners might also be here for many decades to come.
Storries is for sale at £3.75 million via Strutt & Parker — see more pictures and details.
