Everything about Charlie Watts, of Rolling Stones fame, was unlikely. He was the drummer of The Rolling Stones from 1963 until his death in 2021 at age 80! Active for over six decades, the band is one of the most influential music groups of the rock era, and The Rolling Stones defined hard rock.
But Watts was originally trained as a graphic designer. And it was jazz, not rock, which was his first entry into music. And while The Rolling Stones became synonymous with their volatile behaviour, excess, and ego, Watts was the anomaly within the group who stayed mostly sane.
His personality is reflected in Halsdon House, his country home in the UK, which is on sale for £2.75 million ($4.7 million). The sale of the property is marketed by Savills.
Like Watts himself, the Grade II listed manor in Devon has avoided the trappings of rock star excess. Sitting on 55 acres, it was fundamentally a family home.
In England, a Grade II listed building is defined as a building that is: “Of special architectural or historic interest which warrants every effort to preserve it.” This does mean that consent must be obtained from authorities for certain alterations, extensions, or demolitions.
Halsdon House is recorded as dating back to the 17th-century and is located above the River Torridge valley in rural Devon, a county in southwest England. The surrounding area is mostly hills and meadows with open pastoral views.
The property features a principal house of elegant proportions, a self-contained annexe, and a collection of outbuildings including stabling, workshops, and traditional barns.
The house’s gardens, created by Shirley Watts with the help of the home’s original governor, are known to have included formal lawns, a secret garden, and a lily pond. However, there are no recent updates or current reports on the status of the gardens.
This home was built as a private retreat from Watts’ more public life. Watt’s wife was seriously involved with Arabian horse breeding, which should provide some sense of the significant land size; the estate includes stables, barns, and workshops.
The main home spans around 8,593 sq ft with three storeys (plus a cellar), with nine bedrooms, multiple reception rooms, and a library.
The principal reception rooms are arranged around the central entrance hall, each filled with natural light and enjoying open views over the landscaped grounds.
The drawing room is an elegant space for entertaining, with tall sash windows and an ornate fireplace. The dining room offers a formal setting for family gatherings and celebrations, benefitting from a bay window overlooking the lawns.
A more relaxed sitting room provides a comfortable everyday space, while a breakfast room adjoins the kitchen, making it ideal for informal dining. Additional ground-floor rooms include a library-style sitting room, boot room, and a cellar providing practical storage.
Beyond the gardens, the land opens into rolling pasture and paddocks, ideal for horses or livestock.
A significant water reservoir lies within the estate, adding a striking landscape feature and offering practical water supply potential. Woodland and natural areas create shelter, privacy and biodiversity, with a network of rides and walks throughout.
While Halsdon was kept separate from Watts’ professional life, the house did have a moment of fame in 2020. During the Covid-19 pandemic, The Rolling Stones conducted the Global Citizen: One World – Together at Home event. Watts joined his bandmates virtually from the library in Halsdon, where he improvised a drum performance on boxes and a chair.
The lack of an actual drum kit, incidentally, enforces how the Watts’ pointedly avoided entanglement with rock star excess and the music business when it came to the house.
Is it expensive?
While we’re not experts on UK property, our searches show that properties of similar size in comparable areas, e.g., Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, or Surrey, tend to reach prices north of £5 million.
Given the historical value of Halsdon House, the pricing seems to us, on the surface, to be quite reasonable. However, do keep in mind that as a Grade II building, buyers may not be free to alter every feature as they see fit.
Rural areas in Devon are also quite inaccessible and require a means of private transport. But in the context of a country retreat, this is a bonus rather than a drawback. Halsdon House definitely strikes us as less of an investment purchase and more of a legacy asset and a trophy property.
At Stacked, we like to look beyond the headlines and surface-level numbers, and focus on how things play out in the real world.
If you’d like to discuss how this applies to your own circumstances, you can reach out for a one-to-one consultation here.
And if you simply have a question or want to share a thought, feel free to write to us at stories@stackedhomes.com — we read every message.
Frequently asked questions
What is Halsdon House and where is it located?
Halsdon House is a Grade II listed country home located in rural Devon, southwest England, sitting above the River Torridge valley.
How large is the estate and what features does it include?
The estate extends to approximately 55 acres and includes the main house, a self-contained annexe, stabling, workshops, traditional barns, gardens, and open pasture and paddocks.
What is the historical significance of Halsdon House?
Halsdon House dates back to the 17th century and is recognized as a building of special architectural or historic interest, warranting preservation efforts.
How many bedrooms and what kind of rooms does the house have?
The main house has nine bedrooms, multiple reception rooms, a library, a breakfast room, a sitting room, a drawing room, a dining room, a boot room, and a cellar.
Why is Halsdon House considered a good property despite its price?
Given its size, historical value, and rural location, the property is considered a reasonable price compared to similar properties in other areas, and it is viewed as a legacy asset rather than an investment.
