Delamere Manor - Gary Barlow's old home in Cuddington

When Gary Barlow was negotiating the sale of his Cheshire home, Delamere Manor, he knew how to clinch the deal. Potential buyers Alan Murtagh and Michelle Stubbs were whisked away to watch him and his Take That band members in concert in Dublin and given backstage access.

But the singer songwriter’s efforts weren’t needed: just 24 hours after Alan and Michelle first set eyes on this impressive Cuddington manor house, they bought it.

Alan, 39, said: ‘We hadn’t really thought about moving. We’d heard about the house because it’s famous but we’d also heard it was sold so we never considered it. But we woke up one morning and we’d both had a dream about it. We decided if it was still available we’d have a look , but we didn’t take it too seriously.

‘I was on business in Holland right after we’d been to see it, but we saw the potential of the house so we bought it over the phone from there. We couldn’t move in at first because Gary had started to tour. But he did get us those tickets. It was funny because every time we drove up to the gates, a Take That song would come on the radio.’

Such a seemingly rash decision from the couple has turned out to be a successful one. The manor, originally built for the powerful Wilbraham family, has only had a few owners, including its famous former resident who decorated and transformed it into his own version of Elton John’s mansion.

The Barlows had trailing bougainvillea painted down a corridor that runs from the entrance hall to the kitchen, heavy Dolce and Gabbana swags adorned the windows and in the master bedroom suite there was a traditional frieze on the ceiling above the bed as well as a grand piano and a staircase leading to a meditation room. Gary also had a recording studio custom-built in what Alan and Michelle now use as a party room.

The couple have kept the integrity and historic feel of the building, since they bought the house in 2005, while also replacing the décor with a traditional but contemporary interior. Michelle, who loves interior design, has used muted warm tones to create a classic, clean and modern feel.
She said: ‘It was a great house already, but it just wasn’t to our own taste. There were lots of pillars and columns, for instance, and we wanted to make it more liveable and young.

‘I wanted to use traditional materials but in a more contemporary way so it wouldn’t date too quickly. I love quite a classic look as well. The whole thing has been fun.’

They have totally redecorated the interior as well as taking on more ambitious projects like removing staircases – including the one leading to the former meditation room which is now used for storage. They have built a large extension to the side of the house with a terrace, reorganised some rooms to make the most of the lovely views, they have installed their own helipad and built an eventing yard, which is run by equestrian enthusiast Michelle.

One of the major projects was landscaping the 118 acres surrounding the house. Some is used as grazing by sheep owned by a local farmer as well as the horses the couple own. But the land immediately surrounding the house has been extensively remodelled and they have added a jetty on their own lake. They also have a golf buggy they use to transport themselves to the lake to have picnics – a welcome addition when they realise they have left the glasses back at the house. It is also greatly enjoyed by Alan’s children Eoin, 11, Onna, 10 and their friends who are driven around on it.

Alan said: ‘We were punching holes in the landscape so you could take advantage of the view from every room at the front of the house. The grounds, although they were beautiful, were quite organic and the trees were covering up the land. We wanted to add a bit of structure and we really wanted to open everything up.

‘We wanted to have a house that was perfect for us. We like to think it’s a fun house to live in and a place where we can all spend happy times together. The house is a kid’s dream.’

What Alan and Michelle have achieved in the renovation is a personal touch. As well as hundreds of family photographs, they have displayed many items from a vast art collection accumulated by Michelle’s former husband, who used to own a gallery in Tarporley. He tragically died after contracting pneumonia when she was 25-years-old.

Michelle, now 33, said: ‘Art really was his passion. I didn’t want things sitting in boxes and this is the perfect place to display his amazing collection. A lot of the art is from France but there is also quite a lot from a Maltese artist he loved.

‘We wanted the house to be nicely decorated but we also wanted it to be very personal to us. I think we have achieved that.’

The personal element doesn’t just come through in the way they have decorated the house, it is also about the way they use it. They regularly hold celebrations in their dedicated party room and Michelle, who since her husband passed away has taken on numerous charity challenges across the world, also hosts fundraisers at the house.

She said: ‘This is very much an entertaining house and there is nothing we love more than hosting a party. If it’s a big one, we hire a DJ and use the party room. We have also opened the house up to local people to come and watch live music. We do it to raise money for charity.

‘This is a real party house which is exactly what we wanted. We have met so many local people and they have really welcomed us. There is an annual pub crawl held in the area and then everyone goes back to one person’s house. It is our turn to host next time and we can’t wait.’

Although Gary hasn’t been back to see what they have done with his old home, Alan and Michelle’s work has been given the seal of approval from some other members of the Barlow family including Gary’s mum and brother.

In fact, Gary’s brother still lives next door and his children often play in the grounds of their uncle’s old house.

Michelle said: ‘The scale of the renovation is much greater than we had ever taken on before and I’m sure there were times when it felt stressful. But when we see what we have now, none of that matters.

‘Most of all we wanted this house to be liveable and a fun place to spend our time. We just love spending time here. We both love the outdoors and this house is perfect for that. We have even been known to go for a swim in the lake. We make sure we get the most out of our home.’

Delamere Manor

Alan Murtagh and Michelle Stubbs

A room to reunite? Alan and Michelle’s lounge was used when Gary reunited with his Take That band mates

Delamere Manor

The entrance hall hints at Delamere Manor’s elegant interi

Alan and Michelle’s bedroom which they converted into the master suite

A quiet corner

This bedroom was once the master suite. The room in the background used to have a staircase leading to a meditation room, which was installed by Gary Barlow