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Inside James Corden's abandoned £8million mansion that's been left to 'rot' after being invaded by vandals

Inside James Corden's abandoned £8million mansion that's been left to 'rot' after being invaded by vandals

Daily Mail​01-06-2025

It was once an impressive family estate which sat proudly among acres of stunning scenery in Oxfordshire.
But now James Corden 's UK mansion which he planned to demolish and turn into an £8million new home has seen better days after it was 'abandoned' by the star.
The British comedian and actor had planned to replace the structure with a six-bedroom pile with a pool and spa.
But this week it was announced Corden is set to return to the US for a 17-week run on Broadway in New York, for a play.
Newly emerged photographs reveal the state of the derelict house, showing an eerily empty indoor swimming pool littered with dirt and leaves.
Meanwhile, the floors of the mansion can be seen covered in smashed glass and debris while the outside of the property is overgrown and haggard.
Locals in quaint surrounding villages fear the star's building project will never be completed.
Jayne Worral has been the landlady of The Bull pub in nearby Wargrave since 1980 and said it would be 'sacrilege' for Corden to leave the property empty.
Jayne, 72, said: 'He should live in it or sell it so a family can live in it. It's shameful to buy anywhere with that sort of standing and then have no one benefit from living in it. He should be ashamed. It's not fair.
'I'm 72 and society has changed so much - it's all money, money, money, me, me, me. We have a good community here, but so many local shops have closed down because people live such isolated lives.'
One resident said: 'People like James Corden think they can do what they want.
'We need people actually living in the properties around here and then contributing locally. Not having grand plans and then leaving the country. We need certainty.
'He created a huge fuss around wanting the plans to go through how he wanted. How he is leaving. What is going on?
'That would be a lovely house and surroundings for someone local.'
Sue Harris, who has worked in a local shop in nearby Henley since 1997, agreed that it would be a shame if the celebrity left the house derelict.
She said: 'It would be a shame if he left it empty, as we get a lot of characters wanting to live here. We've had Liam Gallagher come in with the kids, he was lovely. You never know who is going to walk through the door.'
But Sue said she was worried that the property purchases of the mega-wealthy like Mr Corden were making Henley and the surrounding villages unaffordable for working people who had been brought up in the area.
She said: 'My daughter rents in Henley and she pays more than our mortgage. It's all these posh people moving here, pushing up prices.'
Sue added she had never met Mr Corden, but thought he was being 'arrogant' with his behaviour around the property and his previous long-running planning dispute.
She said: 'Everything goes his way, he's fine. But if he doesn't get his way, he throws the dolly out the pram.'
But a builder who lived locally said he had met Mr Corden several times as his dad had attended Holmer Green Senior School near High Wycombe with the celebrity.
He said: 'He's a lovely bloke - but to just buy a house and never live in it, that's mental. But he's rich, so he lives a different lifestyle.'
Martin Walker, 78, said: 'I wouldn't know James Corden is he were to fall on my head. But I know the plot of land and the area. I wish he would tear it down. I hate the look of the place. It's a great circular thing. It's not doing anyone any good.'
One of James' representatives told MailOnline the star had no plans to move back to the states 'full time.'
In January last year, experts also warned that the area nearby was littered with Roman and prehistoric finds, with archaeological work to be done to find out whether there are any historic settlements on the site of Corden's Templecombe House.
To undertake the vast build, James would have had to comply with dozens of regulations to safeguard local wildlife and trees, according to The Sun.
Mr Corden is set to return to the US to star in the revival of the play ART, due to open in Broadway's Music Box theatre on September 16.
The TV star had spent eight years living in the United States and returned home in 2023 along with his wife Julia and their three children.
He had a long run on one of American TV's most influential programmes, The Late Late Show.
When speaking about leaving his LA home in 2022 he said: 'I love being in Los Angeles. I love it but we always knew it would be an adventure and not a final destination.'

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