http://www.hoovers.com/free/news/detail.xhtml?ArticleID=NR20040530670.4_0cfd0042b24152a0

Never mind heavy metal hysteria, just look at my reclaimed radiators

June 1, 2004 11:06pm
Europe Intelligence Wire

Black leather, gleaming silver, fast cars, girls in their scanties . . . these
are the very least you would expect to find in the home of one of the towering
figures in British heavy metal.

You're ready for Spinal Tap territory, where pool tables are the size of tennis
courts, platinum discs line the walls and sofas are swathed in animal skins.

Except that's not the case - bar a disc or two - at Holmwood House in Sheffield,
home of Rick Savage, the 43-year-old bass player of rock band Def Leppard.
Instead, his Victorian mansion, built in 1864 out of honey-coloured Derbyshire
gritstone, rolls with restrained good taste, high-quality antique furniture and
domestic contentment.

The world of albums like Hysteria and Pyromania, which alone sold nine million
copies worldwide, is light years from the comfortable interiors of Savage's
home, which he shares with fiancee Paige Hannon, 34, the mother of his two sons,
Tyler, nearly four, Scott, two, and his stepdaughter Jordan, ten.

'I have never been one for the over-the-top,' says Rick. 'I prefer the rather
old and battered, things with character, to the brand new. Mind you, my best
mate just calls a lot of this stuff junk.' Perhaps his low-key style pays off,
however, as he is rarely found by the fans who scour his home city of Sheffield
for him, where he lived until he was 21.

'It is a mystery that I live here. When they do find me, they say, "Oh, so
that's where he lives". To be honest, they are more bothered about the boxer -
Prince Naseem - who lives next door.' There'a trace of heavy metal flamboyance
on the iron entrance gates that automatically open on to a sweeping drive. Rick
has had treble and bass clefs set into them. 'This is the nearest you'll get to
me being extravagant,' he says. A far cry from the aesthetic vision of fellow
rocker Ozzy Osborne, who has been showcasing his LA haunt on global TV.

When Rick and Prince Naseem decided to return to their roots, they both chose
the trendiest area of Ecclesall, on the south-west side of the city.

'Ecclesall Road is hardly Dublin's Grafton Street or the King's Road in London,
but it does have its fair share of wine bars and boutiques,' says Rick.

After struggling through several tough years with its steel industry on the
wane, the city is finally on the up.

Accroding to Andrew Winter, of local estate agent Blundells: 'Sheffield still
sits behind Leeds and Manchester in wealth terms, but the industrial buildings
and old workshops are being turned into luxury apartment blocks.'

Two-and-a-half years ago Rick moved back home from Ireland, where he resided as
a tax exile and met Paige.

But it has taken some getting used to.

'I was happy in Dublin because it is very cosmopolitan,' says Paige. 'When I
first arrived here, I thought I had come to Emmerdale Farm.' But now she enjoys
the fabulous views of the countryside and the friendliness of locals who like to
pass the time of day in supermarkets and shops.

When Rick first came to view the house, which was built for armaments magnate
Henry Vickers, it was in a sorry state. In the Thirties it was converted into
offices - all little boxes, partitions and pokey corridors.

'We really worked from the outside in, carrying out a big demolition job.'

Rick estimates the house itself and restoration cost GBP2 million, and the work
took the best part of 18 months.

Although Rick is modest about his design skills, he planned the whole layout of
the house with the help of local architect Chris Gothard. With a professional
football career with Sheffield United under his belt and now a second job as a
millionaire rock star, Rick could think about going into design.

Explaining his philosophy, Rick says: 'Once you've got the original shell back,
you just stick with it.' Sticking with it has meant painstakingly replacing
every oak floorboard, stripping offending paintwork from the stone and having
all the mullioned windows, many of which are floor to ceiling, specially built.

Rick has opted for reclaimed Victorian radiators - and when you are putting in
27 to keep six reception rooms, a library, music room, seven bedrooms (six with
en suites) and a self-contained, one-bedroom cottage warm, this is a bit of an
investment.

'Standard radiators would just blow the vibe,' he says. 'I had the same in our
house in Dublin and they cost the earth.

But it is worthwhile getting it right.' Rick has even solved the conundrum of
the tower. From the outside there appears to be one, but it is mysteriously
absent on the inside.

'I didn't want to disappoint people and I wanted a tower,' he says, so he had a
self-contained apartment installed with stone steps leading up to it.

Tyler enjoys a taste of tower living too, with a little turret anteroom off his
bedroom.

The house is spacious, but 'you never feel all that remote', says Rick. The main
reception rooms lead off one side of a grand entrance hall, while the kitchen,
breakfast and utility rooms are on the other side.

Rick's favourite place is what the particulars call the snug, but could be more
aptly named Rick's Bar. 'This is my room,' he says. 'This is where I watch
football while the kids watch cartoons.' A huge antique mirror bought in Dublin
was the starting point for the design. Rick had the bar, with its smoked mirrors
and granite top, built to match. A wide-screen television, comfy club chairs and
sofa and cigars complete the Casablanca-style scene.

Rick has hung many of his gold discs and a Rolling Stone cover of the band in
this room. 'This is the first time I've put them out. It seemed OK in a private
space like this,' he says.

However, he is proud to point out an old black-and-white photo of himself
scoring a goal against Stockport in 1975 when he played for Sheffield Under-15s.

His other quiet space, now that the children have 'trashed' the main drawing
room, is the music room, with light flooding in on two sides, a grand piano and
a double bass. 'This is my escape.

I listen to music here with no TV and no kids.' He has also made one of the four
garages into a small studio, where he writes his songs.

Def Leppard's latest project is a covers album of hits from the Seventies for
release in September. 'We are playing songs from all the great rock bands,
including David Bowie and Roxy Music. It originally was a bit of fun for us and
then the record company got excited.' Rick has also designed the master bedroom
suite running along the entire back of the first floor, with the bedroom
overlooking the two-tiered garden and countryside. It leads on to a dressing
room and en suite with his and hers sinks and a wet room with two showers - 'the
bigger one is like standing under a warm downpour,' he says.

A gym follows, but when asked if he uses it much, Rick points to the sunbed and
grins: 'I use that a lot.' He keeps pretty fit on tour, he says, burning a lot
of calories on stage.

As well as the self-contained apartment, ideal for a nanny or a teenager, there
is a one-bedroom cottage with a garden. Rick's mum Sally, 73, has been living
there, and although they will miss having her next door, she will only be 15
minutes away when they move.

For despite all the work Rick and Paige have put into Holmwood House, they have
bought a downsized modern version five minutes away.

'It is similar room-wise,' says Rick, 'but a shrunken version. We plan to get
somewhere in Dublin as well.' So while this might not be a 'rock till you drop'
party pad, as the lyrics to Def Leppard's hit go, anyone searching for a fine
period mini-stately family home need look no further.

. Holmwood House is for sale at GBP2.8million through Blundells, 0114 268 3333.

Copyright © 2004 The Mail on Sunday.
Copyright © 2003 The Dialog Corporation