Queen Of Punk Turns Into A Lady Of The Manor

Punk rock queen Toyah Willcox has joined high society - by splashing out at least half a million pounds on a second palatial home.

She already has a studio flat in Chelsea and last year, on her 28th birthday, she treated herself to a Regency mansion in Dorset.

Now she is set to move into Reddish House, the Queen Anne home of former royal photographer Sir Cecil Beaton.

For more than 30 years, the redbrick house, set in six acres of landscaped grounds, was famous for its wild weekend parties, attended by Princess Margaret, Greta Garbo, Mick Jagger and other "beautiful people".

But Toyah, 29, and her rock guitarist husband, Robert Fripp, say they plan to use it as a hideaway from the world of showbiz.

The price of the Grade I listed house, in the village of Broad Chalke, Wiltshire, is a carefully guarded secret. But only prospective purchasers with £500,000 to spend were shown around.

Lady Chichester, who bought the house after the death of Beaton paid £255,000 for it.

Today
14th July 1987
Thanks to Jenny Parkin