A leisure complex dubbed ‘Britain’s biggest man cave’ is no more as the millionaire behind the build has been forced to demolish it, ending a decade-long planning row.
Pictures show the flat section where the 10,000 sq ft leisure complex once stood in the garden of Graham Wildin, who repeatedly defied court orders to knock it down.
Work to tear down the building started at the end of May after the 72-year-old lost a decade-long planning battle with Forest of Dean District Council to keep the building at his home in Cinderford, Gloucestershire.
Mr Wildin had received multiple orders over the last 10 years to remove the building – which included a bowling alley, casino and cinema – and even served time behind bars for refusing to tear down the complex.
He has claimed over the years that he built the structure for his children and grandchildren. It came complete with a 25ft-tall three-storey doll’s house, indoor tennis and badminton courts and a large soft-play area.
Pictures show the flat section where the 10,000 sq ft leisure complex once stood in the garden of Graham Wildin, who repeatedly defied court orders to knock it down
The structure was built in 2014 and Mr Wildin has been battling to keep it at his home in Cinderford, Gloucestershire ever since
Mr Wildin, pictured, had previously been locked up after he refused to remove the complex behind his home
But the land where the complex once stood is now flattened, as drone images show.
Built in 2014, Mr Wildin claimed he did not think he needed permission when he started construction, and said he built the complex 18ft into the ground to ensure it could not be seen.
Over the years, he has lost a string of other legal proceedings to local planners, as well as angering residents after he parked his classic cars and vans outside his neighbours’ homes and applied to turn his adjoining home into a holiday let.
Wildin’s first of five court defeats came in September 2018 when a High Court injunction was handed down initially giving him until the end of April 2020 to remove the building.
He failed to comply with the injunction and was given a suspended sentence in June 2021.
He then lost an appeal against the sentence at the Court of Appeal that November and he was ordered to demolish the complex by March 10 2022.
But when Wildin’s defiance continued, the six-week suspended sentence for contempt of court was activated on August 13 2022.
Once released from HMP Cardiff, he was given 18 weeks to ‘soft strip’ the interior of the building to make it unusable.
Mr Wildin had received multiple orders over the last ten years to remove the building – which included a bowling alley, casino and cinema
Built in 2014, Mr Wildin claimed he did not think he needed permission when he started construction, and said he built the complex 18ft into the ground to ensure it could not be seen
Work to tear down the building started at the end of May after the 72-year-old lost a decade-long planning battle with Forest of Dean District Council to keep the building at his home in Cinderford, Gloucestershire
The roof was torn off of the building in July this year, exposing the labyrinth that lay inside the structure
Aerial photos taken in July showed the roof ripped off revealing rubble piled high in the rooms inside
Mr Wilden lost his fifth court battle over the ‘man cave’ extension in March 2023 when three High Court judges declared it was right to jail him for defying court orders – despite Mr Wildin claiming he had sold the building to a Mexican buyer for just £1.
In September last year, the millionaire’s neighbours also won a ‘David and Goliath’ court battle after complaining about him parking his 11 classic cars – including a grey Bentley Turbo R and burgundy Austin 1100 – and two vans in the street with a network of CCTV cameras set up to keep watch over them.
Residents on Meendhurst Road complained to Gloucestershire Police that Mr Wildin’s behaviour in monopolising the on-street parking was anti-social and obtained an interim injunction in September limiting the number of vehicles he could park on the road.
Mr Wildin immediately issued an appeal against the injunction, but in December district judge Jonathan Napier imposed a full and final injunction order against the millionaire, meaning he will now only be allowed to park two cars on the road plus provision for two visitors, who can only stay for a maximum of eight hours.
The complaints against the pensioner led to a panel being assembled by ‘Solace’ – a partnership between Gloucestershire police and the county’s district and city councils to prevent, investigate and tackle anti-social behaviour – who were responsible for obtaining the initial injunction.
Mr Wildin pictured outside his home in July as the demolition work continued on his man cave
Graham Wildin inside the leisure centre he built for himself and his family in his back garden
Mr Wildin’s spectacular man cave had room for a table football table alongside a comfortable sitting area
Mr Wildin’s man cave also included a casino complete with a roulette wheel and its very own bar
The structure even came complete with a fully equipped gym inside
During the two-day trial, Gloucester County Court heard that Mr Wildin had placed parking fine notices on a number of neighbours’ vehicles which were blocking his driveway.
The court was also told that because of the number of vehicles parked in the road, a Forest of Dean District Council bin lorry was unable to collect the rubbish.
Mr Wildin disputed this and numerous other issues through his legal representative Sasha Wass KC.
During the trial, at which Solace sought a full and final injunction order, Mr Wildin’s lawyer maintained that his neighbours were at fault and claimed that, apart from one occasion, he had not blocked his neighbours’ driveways with any of his vehicles.
It was claimed by the prosecution, led by Victoria Fennell, that Mr Wildin moved his classic car collection on to the street to create parking chaos in a bid to force the authorities to make a U-turn about the man cave.
Mr Wildin was ordered to pay his own legal costs, believed to be in the region of £80,000, plus £5,000 towards Solace’s costs.
The judge did remove one interim condition over causing a nuisance and annoyance to others, as well as the power of arrest if he failed to comply with the injunction.
One resident said they and their neighbours were delighted that the structure had finally been taken down.
‘It’s about time’, they told the Telegraph. ‘We get a full view of it from here. Absolutely, I’m happy to see it go’.
Forest of Dean District Council confirmed the demolition has been completed and that they intend to pursue costs from Mr Wildin.
‘It is important to note that the cost of this process should not be borne by the taxpayer, and we are now working to recover the full cost of the demolition from the landowner’, a spokesperson said.
‘We would once again like to thank local residents for their patience and understanding during this process’.
