Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones’ Historic Homes from the 1960s to Now: Wild, Lavish Past Revisited

Mick Jagger and his bandmates in The Rolling Stones have lived in some of Europe’s most historic homes over their 60-year careers.

The band’s exploits in the Swinging ‘60s often made their houses ground zero for news coverage, thanks to numerous drug raids and the 1969 death of guitarist Brian Jones. A 1969 raid on Jagger’s Chelsea flat even resulted in one of the most notorious drug trials of the late 1960s.

There were much happier times at the band’s palatial estates as well, including guitarist Ronnie Wood’s London cottage hosting an all-star jam session that inspired one of The Rolling Stones’ classic songs, “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It).”

The Stones even offered fans a rare look into their luxurious homes in 2020 as part of a worldwide effort organized by Lady Gaga to raise money for front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keep scrolling for a look at some of the historic homes once owned by Jagger, Keith Richards and their Rolling Stones bandmates:

1964

A very early promotional photo of The Rolling Stones features them posing outside their manager and producer Andrew Loog Oldham’s flat in the Ivor Court building in London. Stones drummer Charlie Watts later moved into the same Art Deco-style building, which was constructed circa 1930.

Oldham was a key figure in the evolution of the band as he encouraged Jaggers and Richards to form a songwriting partnership, rather than the Stones strictly covering blues standards. The Jagger-Richards songwriting duo was responsible for most of The Rolling Stones’ greatest hits — including “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)” and “Beast of Burden,” among scores of others.

Oldham managed and produced The Rolling Stones’ music from 1963 to 1967, after which he worked with rock gods Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Donovan.

1967

Richards was snapped in 1967 outside the infamous Harley House — a Edwardian mansion that Jagger rented from 1966 to 1968. The landmarked residence was home to some of Jagger’s wildest parties of the 1960s — attended by the likes of Jagger’s then girlfriend Marianne Faithful and Princess Margaret.

Harley House was originally built as a boarding house for Irish migrants and then remodeled much later into an elegant estate fit for a Rolling Stone.

1967

Richards purchased his West Sussex country estate, known as Redlands, in 1966. Redlands has been classified as one of the U.K’s “particularly important buildings” by the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission.

Famed for its thatched roof and timber frame, Redlands is still owned by Richards to this day — though his primary residence is now in Connecticut.

In his 2010 memoir Life, the guitarist reflected on how his purchase of Redlands came about entirely by mistake.

“[The house and I] just spoke to each other the minute we saw each other. A thatched house, quite small, surrounded by a moat. I drove up there by mistake…I took a wrong turn and turned into Redlands,” he wrote. “This guy walked out, very nice guy, and said, ‘Yeah?’ And I said, ‘Oh sorry, we’ve come to the wrong turning.’ He said, ‘Yes, you want to go Fishbourne way’, and he said, ‘Are you looking for a house to buy?’ He was very pukka, an ex-commodore of the Royal Navy. And I said, ‘yes.’”

Redlands holds an infamous place in Stones history as Jagger, Richards and art dealer Robert Fraser were arrested there in February 1967 for drug possession. Jagger and Richards were both sentenced to prison time, but each walked free after one night behind bars thanks to an appeal. Fraser pled guilty to heroin possession and was sentenced to six months in prison.

1969

The U.K. National Archives released crime scene photos in 2005 from a notorious drug raid at Jagger and his girlfriend Faithful’s home in London’s Chelsea neighborhood. The couple were taken into police custody, booked and released on $120 bail each.

Jagger defiantly told reporters gathered outside his home: “I’m going back to work now to make a record.”

1969

A contentious trial saw Jagger accuse the Metropolitan Police of planting heroin in his Chelsea residence. In the end, Jagger was fined $500 for possession of cannabis while a police investigation determined there was no “substantial corroborative evidence” supporting Jagger’s claim against a “hardworking and competent police officer.”

“Michael Jagger is an intelligent young man, and doubtless is on the fringe, if not embroiled in the world of users of dangerous drugs,” Detective Chief Inspector William Wilson said at the time.

While Jagger’s allegations were referred to Detective Chief Inspector William Wilson, no action was taken against the police.

1969

Amid band tensions in 1968, Stones guitarist Jones retreated to a 15th century farmhouse – known as Cotchford Farm – that he’d purchased in Hartfield, Sussex. Winnie the Pooh author A. A. Milne was among the previous owners of Cotchford Farm.

Cotchford Farm boasted an L-plan design and a timber frame, with red brick on the ground floor and a thatched roof. Among the amenities was a heated outdoor pool that would tragically play a role in the end of Jones’ life.

The property has been classified as historically significant by the National Heritage List for England.

1969

Jones was fired by The Rolling Stones in June 1969 due to his well-known drug and alcohol issues. Mick Taylor was hired as Jones’ replacement in the Stones.

By many accounts, Jones continued to spiral into addiction following his very public break with his former bandmates. He was found dead of a suspected drowning at age 27 in the outdoor pool at Cotchford Farm in July 1969.

The house changed owners numerous times over the next four decades until it was sold to its current owners for £1.8m in June 2017.

1974

Taylor’s tenure with the Rolling Stones only lasted five years before he was replaced by former Faces and Jeff Beck Group guitarist Wood.

Two years before he joined the Stones, Wood bought a palatial estate known as The Wick in Greater London. Designed in 1775 by architect Robert Mylne, The Wick was built on plum brick and stone foundation to overlook the Thames River.

Several of Wood’s rock buddies crashed on the property in the early 1970s, including Richards briefly moving into the coach house. Wood even convinced his ex-Small Faces bandmate Ronnie Lane to buy the adjacent cottage, though Lane moved out by 1973.

1974

The Wick was the site of a legendary jam session between Stones members Jagger, Richards and Wood with David Bowie in the early 1970s, which inspired the classic track “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It).”

The Who guitarist Pete Townshend purchased The Wick in 1996, before ultimately selling it for $15 million in 2021. Other notable past owners of The Wick include John Mills, the acclaimed actor who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 1970’s Ryan’s Daughter.

1977

Stones bassist Wyman first first visited St Paul de Vence in France in 1971 and quickly built a life for himself alongside the French Riviera to escape rising taxes in the U.K.

“I first came here in 1971 and I’ve been here ever since,” Wyman told Variety in 2018.

As one of the oldest medieval towns in France, St Paul de Vence became a hot spot for the jetset in the 1970s. American writer James Baldwin, modernist artist Marc Chagall and Halloween actor Donald Pleasence all owned property in St Paul de Vence at various times, while Gilda Radner and Gene Wilder picked the French village to host their 1984 wedding.

1983

Jagger purchased his own French castle — called Château La Fourchette — in the Loire Valley in 1980 for 2.2 million French francs. Because the historic property dates back at least to the 18th century, Jagger invested millions in restoration costs to bring it back to its prior glory.

The restoration added a Japanese-style garden, multiple swimming pools, a tennis court and a waterfall pond. Jagger and a design firm adorned the interior of Château La Fourchette with antique furniture in the Empire style. The Stones frontman also reportedly authorized hundreds of trees being planted to obscure the public’s view of Le Château de Fourchette.

Jagger hunkered down at Château de Fourchette during the COVID-19 pandemic for an extended period.

2020

Jagger, Richards, Wood and Watts came together – albeit at separate homes — in April 2020 to lend support to World Health Organization and U.N. Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

The Rolling Stones performed “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” virtually for the One World: Together At Home telethon, giving fans an intimate look at where they were isolating during the pandemic. The TV concert was curated by Lady Gaga and also featured performances from Elton John, Paul McCartney, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez and more from their homes.

Their telethon performance turned out to be one of Watts’ final TV appearances with the Rolling Stones, as he died in August 2021 at age 80 following a private battle with cancer.