Manic Nicky leaves terrace home for a mansion.

Byline: TOM BEDFORD

MANIC Street Preacher Nicky Wire has quit his working-class Valleys terrace home for a plush mansion called ``Kingsmore'' in a Tory strongland.

The Welsh band's bass player - whose songs include Masses against the Classes and Socialist Serenade - has moved into a large six-bedroom home with his wife Rachel and four-month old baby girl Clara.

Nicky, 33, boasts about his working class roots and stayed living in his modest former miner's cottage in the Valleys village of Wattsville, near Risca, as the band shot to fame.

He even wrote a song called Wattsville Blues about the village - but has now bought the pounds 500,000 luxury home in a Conservative suburb of nearby Newport.

Nicky, who has just released the band's greatest hits album Forever Delayed, left his old house for every middle-class family's dream home. It has top-security electric gates and tall hedges of the tree-lined roads of posh Allt-yr-yn in Britain's newest city of Newport .

Local kids have dubbed the house ``Manic Mansion'' and spend hours hanging round to get a glimpse of their hero.

But Nicky now spends quiet evenings in and walks his dog on the neighbouring green - a far cry from the wild nights of partying he enjoyed after the Manics' early hits. Nicky is notorious for crossdressing - wearing dresses on stage, skirts on TV along with make-up and feather boas.

However, one elderly neighbour said, ``I've seen them walking their dog - but there are no wild parties.'' Nicky's new ``Designer House for Life'' home in bright yellow paint sits high on a hill and has panoramic views over the picturesque countryside.

And now Nicky fiercely guards his privacy - and told one visitor to ``get off my property''.

The six-bedroom house - easily the largest in the road - has green fields to the left where Nicky can take Clara out in her pram.

But Nicky still has his bandmates James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore over to visit.

A neighbour said, ``I've seen the other Manics come over to the house. They were all laughing and chatting together.

``I guess Nicky wanted to show off his new home.''

The quiet exclusive suburb lies just half a mile from Newport city centre - and is filled with wealthy residents including bank managers and solicitors.

Allt-yr-yn has a high proportion of elderly retired professionals and virtually no unemployment - a vast difference from the rundown former mining village he used to call home. It is the only solid Tory borough in Newport - boasting three Conservative councillors. And former Tory minister Kenneth Baker was even born in the same street.

Councillor William Graham said, ``We'll respect his privacy. We're delighted to have someone so important to the Welsh music scene living here.

``We're not worried about what he might get up to. But if he indulges in any disruptive acts we'd take the necessary measures.''

And Coun Matthew Evans looks forward to Nicky getting involved in the local community.

He said, ``His name's on the elctoral register - but I know he's not a Tory so I won't have much luck canvassing him.

``We've had no cause for concern so far. It's a wonderful area to live in. He's been very well behaved.''

CAPTION(S):

GOING UP IN THE WORLD: Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers, top right Nicky's old home and above his new home in Newport

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Publication:	Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales)
Date:	Dec 2, 2002
Words:	559
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