Adele Scares Off Buyers From Her Former $6M Mansion
(Photograph by Kevin Winter — Getty Images)
Adele’s comments about a West Sussex mansion she once rented have left lasting repercussions, with the property’s current owner, Nicholas Sutton, claiming her remarks rendered the estate “unsellable.”
The 16-time Grammy winner, 36, rented the 10-bedroom mansion known as Lock House for six months in 2012. During a CBS interview with Anderson Cooper that same year, Adele described the property as unsettling. “It gives me the creeps,” she said, calling the house “all quite scary, really.”
To ease her discomfort, Adele reportedly hired a female bodyguard to stay on-site after hearing unexplained noises, according to the New York Post.
Sutton, who has owned the property since 2003, has said that Adele’s public comments “negatively impacted future marketing efforts and continue to affect the property’s reputation to this day,” according to planning documents obtained by The Guardian.
Currently listed for £5,995,000, Lock House boasts seven en suite bedrooms, an indoor swimming pool, a guest cottage, outdoor gardens, a tennis court, and an in-ground swimming pool. Built in the early 1900s for the wealthy Harvey family, the property has a storied—and sometimes dark—history.
In 1933, a 23-year-old nurse was found dead on a nearby railway line. In the 1950s, the estate was targeted by thieves following renovations by the Harvey family. The surrounding village of Partridge Green has also seen its share of tragedies, including multiple murders after 1955.
The property underwent significant changes in 1971 when it was divided and sold into 26 lots. Later, it became a convent for the Convent of the Visitation before being converted back into a private residence in 2003.
Sutton claims he has been trying to sell Lock House for 14 years but received only one offer in August 2020, which was rescinded after the buyer learned of its “haunted” reputation, stemming from Adele’s comments.
Facing years of stagnant interest, Sutton is now seeking permission to transform the mansion into three separate houses and convert an existing garage and flat into a cottage. He believes this proposal will preserve the home’s historical significance while addressing the “lack of demand for the property in its current form.”
Adele is one of many celebrities, including Joan Rivers and Nicolas Cage, who have shared experiences of supposed paranormal activity in their homes. However, her claims about Lock House continue to overshadow the mansion’s marketability, leaving its owner struggling to shake its eerie reputation.
