Lock House: Adele’s Former Country Estate

Lock House, a stately, Grade II-listed country house, commands nearly 85 rolling acres of England’s South Downs, deep in the West Sussex countryside and traversed by the River Adur. The house was built in 1900, in the Vernacular Revival style, or what came to be known as “Old English,” but its clean lines and strong verticals give it a contemporary flair.

The magnificent Grade II-listed country house was built in 1900 in the Vernacular Revival style.

Lock House rests amid nearly 85 glorious parklike acres with far-reaching views across the South Downs National Park, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Most recently, Lock House was the country retreat of British songstress Adele. It is almost as big and luxuriant as her voice: More that 20,000 square feet of elegantly finished living space, with indoor and outdoor pools, a leisure complex with gym and spa, tennis court and pavilion, a summer house, three-bedroom staff quarters, a guest cottage and, of course, a helicopter hangar. And it’s barely an hour’s drive from Central London.

Lock House is a beautiful example of the Vernacular Revival style. The Jacobean-style staircase, which dominates the grand foyer, is among the original turn-of-the-century details.

Adele lived in the property from 2011 to 2012. A charming hostess, she gave American television host Anderson Cooper, of 60 Minutes, a tour of the house (shown at the 11 minute mark in the video) and grounds, including the leisure complex, her private suite and wig collection, and baked cupcakes with him in the home’s designer kitchen.

Lock House’s 1930s ballroom was reimagined as a luxury kitchen, with top-of-the-line fixtures and a breakfast area. The original Art Deco windows flood the space with natural light and frame views of the pastoral grounds.

The formal dining room exudes Edwardian elegance with its ornate period details, including monumental fireplace, wainscoting, rich wood floors, crowned with a crystal chandelier.

Set in a picture-postcard landscape near the village of Partridge Green, the estate’s gates open on a long private lane which ends at the graceful porte cochere, which leads to the fine reception hall and its exquisite Jacobean-style carved staircase. Although the house has been extensively refurbished in recent years, many of the Art Deco features from the 1930s have been retained, including the south-facing drawing room with marble fireplace, the “Walnut Room” with its beautiful paneling, the loggia, and built-in bedroom furniture. The 1930s-era ballroom was reimagined as a luxury kitchen with top-of-the-line fixtures and a breakfast area, its Art Deco windows flooding the space with natural light.

The paneling and handcrafted wood finishes in the aptly named Walnut Room are among the elegant Art Deco details from the 1930s.

Permission was granted in 2017 for a second-floor extension to provide two more bedrooms Most of the 13 existing bedrooms are arranged in suites, including an extensive and luxuriously appointed master bedroom with dressing room (more than large enough for a red-carpet gown collection), sitting room with beautiful Art Deco furnishings, and an en suite bathroom with a freestanding tub beside the fireplace.

The master bedroom is complemented by an elegant sitting room with views of the rolling lawns and a dressing room fit for a diva.

Star appeal: Adele’s former suite also features a spa-style wood bathroom, chandelier, and a vintage freestanding tub in front of a cozy, woodburning fireplace.

Lock House is the type of house you can get lost in. Whether you want to relax or entertain, there’s a room for it. There are several reception rooms: the original entrance hall, Walnut Room, drawing room, garden room, and formal dining room. Just off the kitchen and family room is a bar, with easy access to the wine cellar, while upstairs, the private quarters are complemented by a study, media room, and a light-filled games room. The estate’s sporting options are outstanding: there’s a tennis court and pavilion, a stately wood-paneled billiards room, and a fabulous leisure complex with an indoor pool, changing rooms, hot tub, sauna, fitness center, as well as a kitchen, staff office, study, and apartment.

The sporting life: Lock House boasts a billiards room and a leisure complex with an indoor pool, hot tub, sauna, and gym.

The house and its glorious grounds, gardens, and pastures exude a sense of peace and tranquility. Perhaps it’s the views: sweeping, uninterrupted southerly vistas to the South Downs National Park, one of England’s beloved “Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.” Privacy abounds as well: The electrically operated entrance gates open onto a broad, tree-lined drive, which leads to a second set of powered gates. They, in turn, open onto an inner drive bordered by fine mature trees and shrubs leading to a large parking area, with a central oak tree adjoining the front entrance. The house’s elevation gives all principal rooms fine views over the gardens and grounds to the south. Planning permission was granted in January 2016 for a new courtyard stable block.

The 85-acre grounds host an array of amenities for sports and recreation: a tennis court and pavilion, an outdoor swimming pool, and a summer house, all surrounded by pastures, paddocks, and woodlands for equestrian pursuits or idyllic country walks.

It’s no wonder that Adele sought refuge from the limelight at Lock House, a private country idyll where she could be as quiet and peaceful—or as loud—as she pleased. Lock House was built to accommodate large lives and big voices. Perhaps someone like you.