Celebrities and the Cotswolds have long been a match made in heaven – just ask Sir David Beckham – but nowhere is this more apparent than at Lakes By Yoo, the luxury 850‑acre 160-home private estate in Lechlade.
Once a disused quarry, it is now the destination for celebrities looking to escape to the country: prices start at £1.4m for a lakeside cabin and can reach £9m for a six-bedroom villa, with each property surrounded by trees to ensure privacy.
Kate Moss holds her birthday party here every year, Jade Jagger, Take That's Mark Owen and Simon and Yasmin Le Bon have long had second homes here, and both Jodie Kidd and David Gandy have taken cold-water dips in one of its 11 lakes.
But it's not just the location of Lakes By Yoo that keeps supermodel Kate and friends such as Sadie Frost and Meg Mathews coming back: it's Kate's beloved godson, eight-year-old Marley, son of Lakes By Yoo's owner, developer John Hitchcox, and his wife Phoebe Vela-Hitchcox, who is managing director.
"Kate is the best godmother," John says of his superstar neighbour, who lives in the nearby market town of Faringdon, when he meets HELLO! for this exclusive interview and shoot on the estate. "Not only does she buy Marley the best gifts, she buys the best presents for me too. At the christening (which was held here), all the kids were chanting: 'We want Kate!'"
John, 63, and Kate met through their mutual friend Jade Jagger, with Kate revealing: "John and I became friends through our love for the English countryside (and the pub) and have shared a close friendship since."
Kate's touch is felt all over the development. Her former spa brand, Cosmoss, is the collection of choice in the Lakes by Yoo spa, and John enlisted her help with interior design for the five-bedroom barnhouse, which she dressed in nature-inspired earth tones, calling on a local craftsman who built the personal dressing room at her London home to add some of its bespoke furnishings.
The Lakes By Yoo story began back in 1999 when John, a property mogul, received a phone call from a friend "about this disused quarry".
"I'd been looking for somewhere to develop for years and had all but given up," he remembers. "That was on a Tuesday. By the Friday, I'd bought it and my whole life changed.
"It wasn't about the Cotswolds – I'd never even been here before," he admits on choosing the site, which has joined his portfolio of Yoo projects that include residences and hotels from Malaysia to Dubai, Brazil to Buenos Aires.
John's friends thought he was "bonkers" to take it on, but so smitten was he with the project – with its "Hamptons vibe" – that he invited Phoebe, 51, to see it on their third date in 2009. Five years later, the lakes were the location for their starry wedding, where Phoebe arrived on a flower-adorned rowing boat to a wedding party that featured Kate Moss, Sarah, Duchess of York – and best man Simon Le Bon.
While Kate may have left her mark on the lakes, John and Phoebe's own home, the 7,000 sq ft Lake House, is all down to them – even if it has taken 12 tries to finally create their dream. Such is the draw of the lifestyle that they created that everyone wanted in on the development, John explains.
"Friends would come over and admire our home and not want to wait for their own to be finished – so we'd sell them ours.
“There’s something of each of our 11 previous homes in this one,” he adds.
“It takes 11 to imagine what the 12th might look like,” Phoebe says. “We might take inspiration from the lakeside position from house three, the windows of house nine and the outdoor space from house seven.”
The elegant two-storey boasts floor-to-ceiling windows. John says: “The whole idea of the house is to live in nature, so we put in as much natural light as we could. The bedroom is glass all around and it’s got the most stunning views of the lakes and we get the most dramatic sunsets every night.”
The family has an outdoor living room, a heated swimming pool, a jacuzzi and a cold plunge. “I’m a longevity addict,” John notes, while Phoebe says her weekends always begin with cold water swimming. There’s also an incredible outdoor dining space.
“We designed the house for entertaining,” Phoebe says. “We love to throw parties, and this is a house for everyone to enjoy.”
A soft wooden palette runs throughout the property, with John sharing that they spent “years” designing the interiors, resulting in the perfect combinations of work and play; as well as Phoebe and John’s individual offices.
“My wife runs the entire estate – and my life – from here,” John says.
Men's den
There’s a cinema room and a den for the men complete with a piano and drum kit, where Marley and John both pick up their sticks. “If somebody had told me my man cave would have all of this, I’d have taken even a quarter of it,” he says.
The five further bedrooms, meanwhile, are favourites among their circle. All have ensuites, many boast balconies and each has a unique colour scheme. “When friends come to stay, they all have a favourite and ask to reserve the blue, green or purple room,” Phoebe smiles. Lucky guests can also enjoy a standalone bath, walk-in shower and warm-up by a suspended fireplace.
It’s a different story when John’s three older children, aged between 21 and 34, come to visit. Rather than settle into the Lake House, they stay in one of the many holiday lodges. “They want to be close but not too close,” John jokes.
Although he is the mastermind behind Lakes by Yoo, it’s a family affair, with his builder brother and architect sister both working for the brand and living nearby.
While many of the properties at Lakes by Yoo are second homes for the rich and famous (“We’ve got the director of Bloomberg here this weekend,” John says), the area has become a sanctuary for John, who underwent back surgery three months ago and has been unable to move for more than 15 minutes per day since.
Appreciating nature
“I’ve been locked down here and have really come to appreciate the nature and beauty, watching the seasons change,” he says, revealing that he has spent more time than ever on the estate, taking daily strolls. He, Phoebe and Marley are set to move back to London permanently at the end of summer to allow John to concentrate on work in the capital.
The businessman, who describes his passion for property development as “a disease”, has a busy work schedule to come, including the development of London Olympia, the regeneration of the Saville Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue and work on more than 20 apartments in the capital. The Lake House will remain ready to welcome Phoebe, John and Marley back at weekends.
“It will be a wrench to leave. I think Marley will miss it here most – he’s football mad and loves how much space he has to play here,” John admits, sharing tales of idyllic weekends spent cycling the lakes and hosting drinks for residents.
The family love cycling around the site, and rides always end in the arboretum, which was created from trees given to the couple by their wedding guests. They plan to make the most of their summer, with sailing, drinks with neighbours and plenty more bike rides on the agenda.
As John shows us around the lake, pointing out the families of swans, Marley cycles up alongside us, asking for the first time if he and a friend can ride into the forest.
“He’s never asked me to do that before,” John reflects. “I love that he has gained the confidence and independence since being here to want to explore on his own.”
Credits
Stylist: Arabella Boyce @arabellaboycestylist
Hair: Julie Read @julieread @carolhayesmanagement
Makeup artist - Marshayna Suban @CharlotteTilbury @marshayna_
