David Gold - Lifestyle

Traditional Homes and Interiors

"The whole building was structurally unsound. An early Victorian slate water-tank -probably the earliest central-heating system - had been put into the roof after the house was built. The tonnage was so vast that the roof was beginning to collapse. We ended up constructing a 60-feet high wall of concrete blocks right through the centre of the house to hold the roof up. The renovation of the house was based on that wall.
"When I bought this place, although it had eight bedrooms it only had one bathroom. I had it converted so it had 7 bedrooms all with en-suite bathrooms. I renovated the house to such an extent that all the original shutters now work. After trying in vain to restore two damaged fireplaces, I replaced them with French ones of the same period. I became obsessed with detail."

The house is now worth at least £5 million but David refuses to reveal how much he has spent on it. "Rather like having a passion for a football club, you end up spending not as a businessman but because you become passionate over it" says David, who is chairman ol premiership club Birmingham City. "I've definitely become passionate about my house, and I've spent more on it than I should have done, but I don't regret a single penny."
David had estimated that work on the properly, which involved about 50 labourers, would take six months. It took nearly three years, during which time he stayed al his house in Whyteleafc but only spent one week away from the renovation work, because it became such a passion lor him.
"That stood me in good stead afterwards because I knew and felt the soul of the house. Some properties arc soulless but this isn't, because I feel I touched every part of its reconstruction.

It has been a labour of love for me — I'll probably be here all my life

I loved it and it loved me. It's given me huge pleasure back i the years I've lived here since, and I'm re ii will stand me in good stead for the fast of my life." David continues to have improvements made to his properly. "It's on-going, though projects in the grounds arc probably now more important than those in the house. The house is pretty much complete, though you're always tweaking and maintaining things" he says. "The grounds are always evolving because of the golf course. I take great pride in that. The original house was purchased with 19 acres and I have subsequently acquired 25 acres from Surrey County Council and a further 8 acres making a total of 55 acres.

"Originally, with the 19 acres, we installed a 6-hole golf course. As I increased the acreage so I added more holes to the course. It only has 11 greens and some are played twice but from dilTerent tecs. When I tried to reconfigure the course to give us 18 holes and finishing al the house, it just wouldn't work. Having discussed it with the committee (of which I am the only member!) I decided to add an uphill 250-yard par 4 and leave it as the only 19-hole golf course in the World, with a 602-yard par 6 which also doubles up as a runway for my Cessna 182. When you own a course, you're captain of the club and the only member of the comittec.you can do these things!"

Despite being engaged to a lady named Lesley who lives a 30-minute drive away, David chooses to live alone except for his permanent stall of five people. As well as having family and friends to stay, David holds corporate events and charity functions at the property. Jasper Carrott holding the current scoring record on the golf course. Above everything, David regards it as his home.
"I've got wealthy friends who live in 20-bedroom mansions but, when I've stayed there, they're more like hotels than homes. This for me is a home. It's grand in its restoration, but it really is a home.
"I used to have homes overseas, but I've gravitated to tins house. 1 take so lew holidays these days and that's because 1 can't think of being anywhere nicer than here - it's a joy, partly because I'm enjoying my own input.
"You may think that I don't need such a big house and indeed there are some room! won't go into for a year, but it's no problem to me. I don't want to downsize!"

For a TV documentary, David recently returned to the house he was brought up in for the first time in 30 years. "It was just as I remembered it" he says. "It was depressing and all the early days of deprivation came flooding back.
"My life has been an amazing adventure I've been a very fortunate person."