Looking for somewhere to Enjoy the Silence? The country estate of former Depeche Mode band member Alan Wilder is for sale for £4.5 million.
The musician and music producer, who now runs the music project Recoil, bought the eight-bedroom house in Itchingfield, West Sussex, in August 1991.
He had recently married his first wife, Jeri Young, and, according to Steve Malins’ biography on Depeche Mode, “started to fill [the house] with Art Deco objects from the 1920s-50s, such as fridges, hoovers, light-fittings and telephones.”
The West Sussex mansion has been Wilder’s home for the past 33 years. "We’ve had a few gatherings over the years,” he told Sussex Express. “Decade parties, 40s, 50s, 60s. I have speakers we put on the outside walls for those occasions. There are no neighbours nearby so we can crank it up a bit.”
Wilder joined Depeche Mode in 1982 after responding to an advert for a band member in a music magazine. Their chief songwriter, Vince Clarke, had recently left. Wilder began as a tour keyboard player, before joining band members Martin Gore, David Gahan and Andrew Fletcher full-time. As well as writing songs for the band, Wilder arranged the sounds and was heavily involved in the production of albums like Construction Time Again. He played the keyboard, synthesizer and, on Songs of Faith and Devotion, also the drums. During his time in the band, its sound changed, “mov[ing] away from its pure pop beginnings towards a darker realisation,” as Wilder’s website puts it.
As Wilder became more involved as a producer, he built his own home studio, called The Thin Line, on the estate. This, says listing agent Matthew Penfold, is not included in the sale of the property.
Wilder made the “difficult but inevitable” decision to leave Depeche Mode in 1995. Since then, he has turned his focus to Recoil, the experimental music project he had launched in the 1980s.
Approached via a long, tree-lined driveway, the sprawling property sits in almost 30 acres of land and comprises an 11,871 sq ft main house, plus a two-storey chauffeur’s lodge, stables, a field shelter and greenhouse.
The main house was built in 1935 as a wedding present for the daughter of the family who lived at next door, says Penfold. It has only ever had two owners: the couple it was built for lived there until 1991, when Wilder bought the house.
The house still retains many of its original features, including the 1930s wood panelling in the reception room and its Art Deco dining room and bathrooms, with Crittall windows, decorative tiling and chrome finishes.
On the ground floor, there are five reception rooms, a kitchen, study and a modern, “glass-enclosed courtyard” facing onto the garden, which was added by Wilder. The house’s eight bedrooms are on the floor above.
On the second floor, however, is Wilder’s leisure suite, accessed via a passenger lift. This contains the full works: a gym, sauna, steam room, plunge pool and flotation tank. There’s a larger outdoor swimming pool too, plus a tennis court and children’s adventure playground.
Oh, and there’s a wine cellar.
“There are a lot of original 1930s Art Deco features,” says Penfold. “Anyone that loves their Deco styling is going to absolutely love it. But also, there’s the fact that it sits centrally within 30 acres in an elevated spot on the edge of the village. The view over the South Downs is really lovely.”
Despite being a historic property, Penfold also emphasises the building’s non-listed status as a selling point. “If people want to put their own mark on it, it should be pretty easy to do.”
At 64, though, Wilder is now looking to downsize. His property has been listed for £4.5 million with House. Partnership.
“He’s had a fantastic time there. He thoroughly enjoyed it. But it’s a large house in 30 acres, and he’s looking to plan ahead,” says Penfold.
"It’s the sheer size of the place,” said Wilder in his interview with Sussex Express. “My family are growing up and we rattle around here. It’s beautiful but it’s a lot to look after. We want something more manageable.”
He added: “I have really loved being in this area. We are probably not going to move far away.”
After Wilder, who will become the estate’s third owner?
“It would work very, very well for a family. Anyone that needs to get to Gatwick or Heathrow, or into central London…Somebody based in the city that wants to come out for a bit of peace and quiet,” says Penfold.
“And —I know it sounds mad— but quite possibly weekenders: if you want a country house to bring friends to on weekends, it’s a very imposing, impressive house.”
