ENGLAND boss Gareth Southgate’s £3.5million mansion has all the taste you’d expect.
The gaffa’s 16th century manor house is covered by woodland in a secluded village, and is so hidden that some locals never realised he lived there.
One ice cream man said last year when YorkshireLive told him: “You’re having me on. Does he really?”
Southgate’s Swinsty Hall in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, boasts six plush bedrooms over four floors, a wine cellar, and sprawling grounds.
There are even rumours of a resident ghost there.
And it has four bathrooms, a dressing room, a wood-panelled drawing room for entertaining celeb guests and study, as well as a rustic kitchen.
As you’d expect from Gareth’s old-school gentleman style, the interiors are classy, with marble worktops, purple velour soft furnishings, wooded beams and a baronial hall fireplace on display.
He also has a fine antiques collection – from tall golden goblets and black marble statues to vintage fireplace tools and splendid chandeliers.
Gareth and wife Alison can also curl up for a cosy date night in their private cinema at the very top of the home.
The room features electric reclining seats and a home cinema system, where Gareth will undoubtedly be watching the highlights from his best games in charge of the Three Lions.
The walls and carpet are a soothing purple, and a cosy nook is built into the side of the high-ceilinged room.
And the manager can toast any England victories with a bottle of fine wine from the cellar that runs on the lower ground floor.
Former Middlesborough manager Gareth and his wife Alison bought his Grade 1-listed family home back in 2006 for £3.25m.
The pair then spent thousands of pounds decking out the mega-mansion, which dates back to the 1500s.
The land also boasts a two-bedroom detached cottage in the sprawling grounds.
There is also a barn that is currently used as a storage area, but could be turned into another room – or be used to house an entire 11-man footy squad.
The beautiful 8,000-square ft home – described by estate agents as a ‘family home of distinction’ is set in 4.5 acres of formal grounds, with its own woodland copse and views of the local reservoir.
It was previously owned by developer Chris Taylor, who spent three years restoring it as his own family home with the help of English Heritage.
Since the house dates back 400 years, it’s no surprise that it has a chequered history,
Gareth’s home is also reportedly haunted by the ghost of a twisted thief called Robinson, who used the wealth he stole from people to build the manor.
According to Yorkshire-based historian and author William Grainge, Robinson grew up in a humble cottage not far from where the hall stands and worked as a weaver, before travelling to London to seek his fortune.
The 1665 Great Plague hit the capital, killing 200,000 people there – and this was an opportunity for Robinson to get rich.
He looted the houses of the dead, nicking their gold and valuables and returning to North Yorkshire where he bought the estate where Southgate would eventually live.
However, he was plagued by visions of those he stole from, so tried to wash the gold in a nearby spring to cleanse it of bad vibes.
The spring is still there today and legend has it that at certain times his ghostly apparition can be seen stood by it while frantically rubbing the gold coins – or floating around the grounds itself.
Other historians argue the truth could be more mundane – that in fact a family called Wood owned the estates.
Head of the house Francis Wood wanted to erect a new hall on the estate, and loaned money from a Henry Robinson, who took charge of the estate when Francis was unable to repay the debt.
Gareth has struggled to sell the house both times he’s listed it – first in 2016 for £3.75m and in 2018 for the sum his family initially bought it for.
It came up on the market five years ago while he was caught up in a tax row over dodgy investments.
There was a surge of interest in the home following the news that former footballer Gareth would be made interim manager after Sam Allardyce quit.
But to deter nosy fans, all potential buyers had to prove they could afford the home before they were allowed to tour the property.
When it failed to sell, Gareth decided to leave it in order to focus his efforts on the England team.
