When Robbie Williams splashed out £8.1million last year on a seven-bedroom country mansion, the purchase was said to have been inspired by his fascination for extraterrestrial life.
But now the former Take That star is selling it at a £600,000 loss after apparently failing to spot any little green men.
Compton Bassett House, which has its own helicopter hangar, is one of Wiltshire’s grandest privately owned properties. But when Williams bought it, it was claimed that what really attracted him to the area was the reported presence of ley lines.
Take that: Robbie Williams is selling Compton Bassett House at a £600,000 loss
Sci-fi enthusiasts claim these are ‘mystical energy routes’ that guide UFOs – a phenomenon in which Williams is deeply interested.
The county is also known for its mysterious crop circles, which some devotees believe are caused by aliens.
Yet the singer has now put the mansion on the market for £7.5million and plans to live full-time in Los Angeles – where he and his girlfriend, American model and actress Ayda Field, have another home.
Danny Adams, landlord of the White Horse Inn in the village of Compton Bassett, said: ‘He bought the house to be near the crop circle goings-on, thinking that to be spiritual stuff, but he’s probably realised it’s just a load of blokes stamping round the fields at night.
'To be honest, he didn’t play much of a part in village life. He never came to the pub but we would see him walking his dogs from time to time.’
City of angels: Robbie Williams is planning to live full-time in LA, where he has a property with Ayda Field
The 36-year-old singer and songwriter, who was born in Stoke-on-Trent, would occasionally have a fried breakfast at the Divine Cafe in the nearby village of Cherhill.
But locals said he had not been seen there or at Compton Bassett House for weeks.
The mansion has eight bathrooms, a library, a luxury leisure complex, two staff flats, a pavilion, a tennis court and 70 acres of surrounding parkland.
Built in the 18th century, it has been extensively restored and boasts a swimming pool in the basement, decorated with Greek-style Doric pillars.
But now it appears that the lure of Ms Field has proved overwhelming.
Last year Williams stunned her by proposing on a live radio programme in Sydney, Australia.
However, his publicist said later that it had been a joke and Williams himself wrote on his blog that they were not engaged.
Williams’s impending departure has done little to disturb the equilibrium of Compton Bassett’s 250 residents.
A neighbour said: ‘He’s just another blow-in from London who’s blowing out again.
'It won’t make any difference to us and if you hadn’t mentioned it, no one would have noticed he’s gone.’
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