Television star James Corden has officially abandoned his vision of a countryside family home, selling off a multi-million pound mansion that had fallen into a state of serious disrepair.
From Dream Home to Derelict Property
The 47-year-old comedian and his wife, Julia, have sold Templecombe House in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, for which they paid £8.5 million in 2020. The couple had initially purchased the unique horseshoe-shaped 1960s modernist property with the intention of creating a permanent UK base following Corden's eight-year stint hosting The Late Late Show in the United States.
Plans were drawn up to demolish and rebuild the house, featuring a six-bedroom design that received planning permission in January 2023. However, these ambitious proposals, which once included swimming pools, a sauna, and a steam room, never came to fruition. The property was left vacant and became a target for vandals, who daubed graffiti on the walls and left the interior littered with rubbish.
A London Future After Broadway Success
A source close to the family confirmed the sale, stating: "James and his family have moved the property on. He's just completed a successful stint on Broadway in New York and now he's planning on returning home. James and his family are settled in the UK. London is their family home."
Corden has recently finished a 17-week run in the Broadway play Art alongside Neil Patrick Harris and Bobby Cannavale. The family's new primary residence is now understood to be the £11.5 million mansion they purchased in north west London in 2024, where their neighbours include actors Helena Bonham Carter and Tom Hiddleston.
Local Frustration and a Home Left to 'Rot'
The state of the Henley property had become a point of contention for local residents. After lying empty for years, urban explorers recently posted videos online revealing the full extent of the decay.
The footage showed:
- A kitchen in ruins with doors hanging off hinges.
- An empty indoor swimming pool filled with dirt and leaves.
- Graffiti scrawled across walls and a tatty arched sofa in one room.
One local resident expressed frustration, saying: "We need people actually living in the properties around here and then contributing locally. Not having grand plans and then leaving the country." Sue Harris, a local shop worker, added it would be "a shame" if the celebrity left the house derelict, noting the area attracts many who wish to live there.
With the sale of Templecombe House finalised, the Corden family chapter in the Oxfordshire countryside is closed, marking a full return to London life after years spent between the UK and the US.
