So you think Modern Life is Rubbish? Surely There’s No Other Way but to pack up and move to a house, a very big house in the country: 20 years after Blur’s Britpop battle with Oasis made headlines, the property that inspired their No 1 single Country House is on the market.
This Grade II-listed home was bought by David Balfe, who founded record label Food in 1984. He signed Blur – called Seymour at the time before he and his label partner convinced them to change their name – and directed the band’s first two music videos, She’s So High and There’s No Other Way. An integral part of the Popscene, you might say.
But by 1994, disenchanted with the alternative scene in the years of grunge, Balfe decided to sell the label to EMI and semi-retire with his young family to the country. This inspired lead singer Damon Albarn to pen Blur’s first No 1 hit about a “professional cynic, but my heart’s not in it” who is tired of living life to the limit and escapes to the “rural charm” of the country.
Now the large, traditional-styled family home, which has a separate (Al)barn annexe and, for those who have had enough of city parklife, is set in a conservation area with elements dating back to the 17th century, is on the market for a guide price of £2m through agent Savills.
The Grade II-listed, six-bedroom home is set in four acres of grounds backing on to the Barton Hills area of outstanding natural beauty in the village of Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire. So crack The Magic Whip and get saving!
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