Ditching London life to live off-grid in the Northamptonshire countryside isn’t what you’d expect from rock goddess Jo Wood, but the 68-year-old is embracing her new lifestyle.
She moved to the old farmhouse in 2019 and is clearly enjoying every second of country life.
“I wanted to move to the country and be more organic,” says Jo. “I looked at places in Oxfordshire but none of them were right.
"Then this little house popped up on Rightmove. It said, ‘Off-grid farmhouse in Northamptonshire.’
“I knew nothing about living off-grid. The guy walked me around and said, ‘There’s solar panels up there and a generator down here.’
"The house was very white inside, no character, and I thought, ‘It’s a blank canvas for me to do what I want and create something else.’”
There was a lot of work to do to get the Grade II-listed property to meet Jo’s rustic and eccentric tastes, and there have been lessons learnt along the way, including being responsible for her own power.
“I’ve learnt so much as it’s wonderful to be off-grid, but it’s hard work,” she says. “You have to be responsible, but I like that.”
A healthy, sustainable lifestyle is important to Jo, who was married to Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood for 24 years.
She hasn’t had a takeaway in years and cooks only organic food – a lot of which she picks from her own vegetable patch.
Unfortunately, this winter there has been an unexpected problem with her home-grown produce.
“I’ve been plagued by rabbits,” she says. “They got in and ate everything. Now I’ve had it all reinforced. This year, I’m creating a medicine garden, with herbs that are good for you, like thyme and sage. And there’ll be lots of carrots and tomatoes.”
Eco-friendly living is nothing new for Jo, who prides herself on reusing and upcycling pieces she has owned for decades.
Many are prominent features in her farmhouse, such as her mum’s old dolls and a painting of the Mona Lisa in a burka by her late brother Paul.
“I’ve got a lampshade I bought in LA when Leah [her 44-year-old daughter] was born. I’ve even got a statue of an art nouveau lady that I got when I was 16.
“It’s easy to be sustainable and reuse, rather than constantly consuming. It’s nice to look through antique markets and find beautiful bits and pieces you can make work. There’s enough stuff in the world for us to have beautiful things without buying new stuff, which actually disintegrates very quickly.”
A fashionista by nature, Jo breaks the mould with her style and also champions vintage over new clothes. She even appeared on the runway at London Fashion Week last September in a sheer dress by eco-designer VIN + OMI.
“My first vintage dress was from my granny,” she recalls. “You just make it new again by putting on a belt and a jacket and some cool boots.
“A lot of it’s to do with my mother being a vintage doll maker. She’d get old Victorian nighties and beautiful dresses to cut up for the dolls, and I’d go, ‘No, Mum, I want that!’”
As well as the environmental advantages of an organic lifestyle, Jo has seen a benefit to her health and well-being.
The boxing fanatic, who has a gym at home, rarely goes to the doctor and notices an instant change in her skin if she eats something “not right”.
“I think what you eat is so important,” she says. “I know veganism is a big trend, but I do think we should have meat protein, as long as it’s good-quality, like grass-fed beef. It’s better to have less of it than cheap meat. I never eat packet food. I always cook fresh.”
This way of life is worlds away from her days partying with the Rolling Stones and travelling the world. “I don’t remember much of those days,” she laughs.
But while life is less party-centric, she wouldn’t describe it as “quieter”.
“I mean, it’s nice and quiet, yes, but I’m really busy,” says Jo. “I’ve just launched my eco wallpaper range. I’m making these longevity pills with my son Jamie – I take all these wonderful roots every day and we’ve made them into a pill. I’m always doing something.”
Luckily, Jo is not completely isolated. Daughter Leah lives just a mile away, and she has 10 grandchildren.
Jo, who is also mum to Jamie, 48, Jesse, 46 and 39- year-old Tyrone, is planning to get all the family together at her country house for Tyrone's 40th this summer.
We wonder if her ex-husband Ronnie, father to her children, will make an appearance. Jo and Ronnie divorced in 2009 after she caught him cheating, but she insists that of course he will be there and things are amicable between them.
“It’s important for the kids [that we] get on,” she says. “I spent enough time with him, I don’t want to be enemies with an ex. I like to be friends with all the boyfriends and exes, it’s nice that way. Life’s too short.”
Ronnie is a keen artist, so with all the decadent paintings in Jo’s house, we ask if any of Ronnie’s are displayed. We’re astounded by her answer.
“He did so many drawings of me while we were together and I’ve got them all. They’re all around and in my office.
“He did loads of naked pictures of me. I offered them to the kids but they said no,” she adds, with a laugh.
Aside from deciding what to do with the nude artwork, Jo is planning to renovate an outhouse into a guest house and is also gearing up to record the second series of her podcast, Alien Nation.
And she has lots of other dream projects on her bucket list, including launching an organic teenage perfume range and travelling to the ruins of Puma Punku in Bolivia and Peru’s Machu Picchu.
It’s obvious she has no plans to slow down.
“I was saying the other day, I can’t see myself ever stopping,” she says. “I can’t sit at home and do nothing. I love being creative.”
Jo’s wallpaper range, created with friend Katherine Trigg, is available now at jojoandtrixie.com. Jo’s organic product range is available at jowoodorganics.com
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