Inside David & Victoria Beckham's Wild Garden with Hidden Underground Passages for Complete Privacy

Victoria and David Beckham's Cotswolds estate is so high-tech that it has complete privacy. The couple has been adding to the country-style estate for years, including passages that take them around the home.

In December 2016, David Beckham and his wife Victoria bought their Chipping Norton, England estate for over $7.5 million. Ever since the purchase, the couple has worked on continuously renovating the home.

The mansion boasts six bedrooms and offers the family enough space to relax. Victoria made sure to have her say by designing the home's interior using her fashion design background.

The mansion has wooden floors and exposed bricks, but its velvet curtains and rugs give it a soft and warmer side. The Beckham's kitchen was designed farmhouse-style and hosted a wood-burning pizza oven.

It also has spacious green cabinets and a pantry allegedly organized by Victoria. The estate, which has three barns, is based in Great Tew, a small village in the Cotswolds, which David and Victoria have been renovating to create a cozy family home.

The former soccer player and his former musician wife's farmhouse home is close to Oxfordshire's Chipping Norton. The mansion also has a sauna, a swimming pool, and a tennis court, and they enjoyed the house until one incident.

WHAT CAUSED THE BECKHAMS TO ADD EXTRA SECURITY MEASURES

David and his wife decided to ramp up their security measures on the estate weeks after Dele Alli, a Tottenham midfielder, was robbed. On May 12, 2020, the soccer star, who lives 80 miles from the Beckhams, was robbed at his Hertfordshire mansion.

He luckily suffered only minor injuries when two men, who had their faces covered, broke into his home's back entrance. The thieves were there to steal several costly watches and some of the soccer star's jewelry.

Due to COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdowns, Victoria and her husband were isolated at their home with their three children and were frightened by the incident. Harper, Cruz, and Romeo stayed with their parents while the eldest child, Brooklyn, lived in the US.

The following month, the Beckhams were building a security gatehouse to house two guards full-time for added fortification. The security guards would rotate all day and night even if the family weren't on site.

David reached out to the West Oxfordshire District Council to get permission to build the addition citing the improvement of "security for occupants of the property." However, their plans upset neighbors who thought the gatehouse didn't fit the area's look.

The neighbors in the enclave believed the famous couple was ruining the village's ambiance and objected to the upgrade. John Walsby, a neighbor, had this to say about the suggested changes:

“Farms and agricultural buildings do not have gatehouses and security huts.”

THE FAIRY WILD GARDEN WITH A HIGH HILL

Unfortunately for the other residents, David and Victoria were allowed to go ahead with their plans. The couple has a large garden to hide their construction work and ultimate changes.

The outdoor space, designed by landscape designer and Chelsea Flower Show winner, Marcus Barnett, includes a "natural swimming pond." It also boasts wild cherry, hazel, pear, plum, and crab apple trees.

The total number of trees on the estate is meant to be 23, and they won't be manicured but will be allowed to grow freely. According to a neighbor, David was once spotted arriving with gardening gear.

The source noted how the former England captain was seen in the Tewa area with his dog. In 2020, the Beckham family also had a plunge pool installed in their garden and an igloo-style Estonian sauna.

Another addition to the estate was a hill in the family's garden that would be used to shield the mansion. One of the things it will protect the home from the new holiday park that's not far from them.

David intended to raise his ground level by two to three meters. He planned on creating earthworks around his tennis court which was on the side of the estate, to have a noise barrier that would also increase privacy.

In October 2021, the Beckhams were also granted permission to build an office as long as they looked after the wildlife on the estate. The couple had submitted their application for the renovation earlier in 2021.

The District Council expects them to make sure the areas' hedgehogs, bats, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and badgers, are kept safe under 1981's Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and 2017's Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations.

However, the Beckhams can't install outdoor fixtures that illuminate the hedge-row and bat box without approval. The prohibition intends to protect the community of bats that live on the land.

Before any external walls are put up, details showing how one bird and bat box will be integrated into the walls need approval. The outdoor building would have to be designed with an open roof and frontage bays to accommodate the birds and bats.

The building would store the Beckham's quad bikes and garden machinery. The family was also required to enhance the area's biodiversity, including planting six different trees to create hedgerows.

The former soccer star and his ex-Spice Girl wife also had to have "a five-year aftercare maintenance plan." They also couldn't put up external lighting that could inadvertently harm the wildlife.

David and Victoria also needed enough space on their property for the tools they'd use to take care of the tennis court, the lawns, and the treehouse. They also required the tools to tend to a large lake they got permission to build in August 2021.

However, the couple couldn't add fish to their lake to protect newts. Judging by all the animals and reptiles that live on the estate, it seems the Beckhams are genuinely living in the wild!

THE SECRET UNDERGROUND PASSAGES

Although Victoria and David seem to have a lot on their plate with their renovations, they aren't done yet! The pair were permitted to build an escape tunnel under the Cotswolds mansion!

David [Beckham] even had the beekeeping kit and a beehive, with him and his family posing for pictures in their full gear.

The couple had to start work within three years of the approval of their application; otherwise, they would be forced to reapply. The tunnel would link the main house with the garage.

The plans included a new basement cellar with a linked walkway to the garage outbuilding. The tunnel was meant to give the family improved security, and the garage extension would increase its bays from four to seven.

THE INDOOR LIVES OF THE BECKHAM FAMILY

In September 2020, The Sun also revealed that the Beckhams were so engrossed in their housekeeping that they delved into beekeeping! David launched his honey brand to produce organic sweeteners.

He had three potential brand names he was thinking of using, including Seven Honey, D Bee, and Goldenbees. The publication's source claimed the Beckham family caught the beekeeping bug during the early months of lockdown.

It all started as a hobby, then the next thing the whole family was involved in it! David even had the beekeeping kit and a beehive, with him and his family posing for pictures in their full gear.