80s heartthrob plans sauna and Pilates studio at Wiltshire manor

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 06:08 · Archive

Duran Duran bassist John Taylor has applied to convert outbuildings at his Grade I-listed Wiltshire home into a Pilates studio and sauna.

Duran Duran bassist John Taylor has applied to Wiltshire Council to convert outbuildings at South Wraxall Manor, near Bradford on Avon, into a home gymnasium suite. The proposals include turning a workshop into a Pilates studio with a washroom and installing a self-contained sauna in an adjoining pavilion.

Taylor and his wife Gela Nash-Taylor purchased the early 15th-century manor in 2005. The property contains Medieval, Elizabethan and Jacobean fabric and is described in a heritage statement as being of 'national historic significance'.

The proposed fitness facilities would be contained within existing outbuildings rather than the main manor. The workshop would be re-roofed in natural stone slate, with its existing rooflight removed and a glazed dormer installed. Its floor would also be lowered to increase headroom. Architects say the workshop dates from the 1970s and has low historic significance, while the pavilion is considerably older. Their assessment concludes that the glazed dormer could cause 'less than substantial harm' but says this would be justified and mitigated through sympathetic materials.

The project has encountered an ecological hitch after bats were found using buildings on the estate.

How it is being reported

• 80s heartthrob plans to build a sauna at Wiltshire mansionAn 80s heartthrob wants to build a Pilates studio and sauna at his historic Grade I-listed Wiltshire home.Wiltshire Times · 27 Oct, 05:00
• 80s heartthrob plans to build a sauna at Wiltshire mansionAn 80s heartthrob wants to build a Pilates studio and sauna at his historic Grade I-listed Wiltshire home.Gazette & Herald · 27 Oct, 05:00

In this story: John Taylor · Gela Nash-Taylor · Duran Duran · South Wraxall Manor · Bradford on Avon · Wiltshire

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