James Corden has scrapped ambitious plans to turn his dilapidated Oxfordshire bolthole into a lavish country retreat by selling the property for an undisclosed fee – more than six years after buying it.
The actor originally bought the highly distinctive, art deco Templecombe House on the outskirts of Henley-On-Thames for £8million in 2020, with plans to raze the property and build a six bedroom mansion for his family in its place.
But while planning permission was granted in 2023 – the year Corden and his family relocated to England from the United States – his sprawling, horseshoe shaped home has remained empty and abandoned – and a popular target for local vandals.
Instead, the actor, his wife Julia Carey and their three children reside in north west London, with an £11.5million property in the English capital understood to be their primary base.
A source told The Mirror: ‘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.’
James Corden has scrapped ambitious plans to turn his dilapidated Oxfordshire bolthole into a lavish country retreat by selling the property for an undisclosed fee
The actor originally bought the highly distinctive, art deco Templecombe House (pictured) on the outskirts of Henley-On-Thames for £8million in 2020
The source added: ‘The place is a mess, it is littered with rubbish and people have clearly been causing havoc in there. It’s going to take a lot to turn around.’
Corden was given the green light to begin work on the rural site – which boasts a prehistoric druid circle within its sprawling grounds – some three years after purchasing it.
The British comedian and actor had planned to replace the structure with a six-bedroom pile with a pool and spa.
But landscaping was ordered to preserve the site’s 45 megalithic stones, while Corden was also required to guarantee the protection of local wildlife.
However, the property remains derelict as Corden returns to the UK after completing a 17-week run in New York Broadway play Art, in which he starred alongside Neil Patrick Harris and Bobby Cannavale.
Jayne Worral, landlady of The Bull pub in nearby Wargrave since 1980, recently said it would be ‘sacrilege’ for Corden to leave the property empty.
She told the Daily Mail: ‘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.’
While planning permission was granted in 2023, his sprawling, horseshoe shaped home has remained empty and abandoned – and a popular target for local vandals
The British comedian and actor had planned to replace the structure with a six-bedroom pile with a pool and spa
The rural site boasts a prehistoric druid circle within its sprawling grounds (pictured)
The property’s indoor swimming pool, pictured in June 2025, has clearly seen better days
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.’
