Rick Astley fans take note: the singer’s childhood home is up for auction with a starting price of £380,000.
Located on Park Road North in Newton-le-Willows, a market town in Merseyside, the five-bedroom house covers 2,253 sq ft over three storeys.
Astley, who was born nearby in 1966, lived in the house until he was 19. Performing as the frontman of his band, FBI, in 1985, he was scouted by record producer Pete Waterman who offered him a job at his company. Eventually, after a period of deliberation, Astley accepted.
“In the end, of course, I went to London and lived in Pete’s flat,” said Astley in an interview with The Times.
“But if you can imagine being in Newton, this tiny little town, and I’m in a band who, if you went into the Legh Arms on a Friday night, would be playing and were quite a big deal, it was hard to think of myself as this kid who went, ‘I’m off.’ It was horrible, if I’m honest.”
Fans looking for a piece of Astley’s history can bid on his former home online before August 8.
The property opens onto an entrance hall with an adjoining lounge, dining room and kitchen. There is also a lean-to, WC and utility area downstairs.
Upstairs is the master bedroom, with built-in wardrobes and an ensuite. There’s a family bathroom and two bedrooms on the same floor, with a further two above.
Astley’s home also has a large double garage and walled rear garden, featuring a paved seating area and grass lawn.
“The rear garden is west facing, getting the sun most of the day and evening,” reads the property’s listing.
“Spread over three floors, this beautiful home offers an abundance of space and versatility, providing an ideal setting for comfortable family living.”
Astley’s budding music career began while living in the house in Newton-le-Willows. He sang in his church choir, and joined local bands as as a teenager.
In an interview with The Guardian, he described performing with his school band at their Valentine’s disco as a formative experience.
“Until that moment, 90 per cent of the students didn’t know I existed, but after the disco quite a lot of them did.
“That’s what rock’n’roll and pop music does. It was a gamechanger in terms of my perceptions of me.”
In 1987, after having left for London, Astley recorded his debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody, which sold over 15.2 million copies worldwide.
It featured the mega hit single, Never Gonna Give You Up, which catapulted Astley to fame and turned him into a household name.
Since then, he has released eight studio albums. He released a new single, Dippin’ My Feet, this summer, and performed at this year’s Glastonbury Festival.
Astley now lives in East Molesey, Surrey, with his wife, Lene Bausager.
