Larry Ellison: What To Know About The Latest Project by One of The World Richest Man

In the rolling green heart of Oxfordshire, where winding lanes, ancient hedgerows, and star-filled skies have defined rural life for generations, something extraordinary is unfolding. Slowly. Quietly. And with unmistakable billionaire precision.

Larry Ellison, the tech titan behind Oracle and currently the fifth richest man in the world, is assembling what locals are calling nothing short of a private luxury compound in the English countryside. What began as a single high-end property purchase has now evolved into a sprawling estate featuring guest lodges, live-in staff housing, multiple gyms, an indoor basketball court, horse stables, and security infrastructure more often associated with heads of state than countryside homeowners.

And while Ellison’s global real-estate empire already spans Hawaiian islands, Californian mega-estates, Florida beachfront compounds, and historic properties in Japan, this Oxfordshire project marks a major shift: it is believed to be the first time Ellison has purchased residential property for himself in the UK. But this story isn’t just about luxury living. It sits at the intersection of global wealth, political influence, controversial digital policy, and local community tension, making it one of the most intriguing billionaire stories currently unfolding in Britain.

From Silicon Valley to Silent Villages

The development began quietly in November 2020, when a contemporary mansion set within nine acres of landscaped grounds near Abingdon was purchased for £8 million. The buyer was not Larry Ellison, at least not on paper. Instead, the property was acquired through Jozu UK LLC, an overseas company of which Ellison is the sole beneficial owner. At the time, few locals realised the significance of the sale. The house was impressive, yes, but Oxfordshire is no stranger to wealthy buyers. What residents didn’t know was that this was only the first move in a carefully planned land-buying strategy.

Over the next four years, adjoining plots and neighbouring estates were acquired one by one, all through the same corporate structure. In May 2024 alone, Jozu UK LLC purchased a large nearby estate and multiple properties for a reported £10 million, dramatically expanding the footprint of Ellison’s landholdings. By the time the dust settled, a vast private enclave had quietly taken shape.

The original mansion already reads like a billionaire’s wish list. It boasts:

• An indoor swimming pool
• A fully equipped gym and sauna
• A wine cellar
• A dedicated entertainment barn
• A private library
• A housekeeper’s apartment
• And an indoor tennis court, constructed after Ellison took ownership

But that was just the beginning. Recent planning applications, now under consultation, reveal an ambitious vision that pushes the estate far beyond a private residence and into compound territory.

According to planning documents, Ellison’s estate will soon include:

Staff Accommodation on a Grand Scale: A newly proposed 10-bedroom staff building will house household and security staff and include:

• A communal gym
• Shared kitchen and dining facilities
• Sitting rooms
• External kennels for security dogs

Further accommodation will allow for up to 18 live-in household and security staff, providing 24-hour coverage of the estate.

A Rustic Barn—With a Basketball Court Inside: One of the most eye-catching proposals is a large rustic-style barn that will house a full indoor basketball court, blending countryside aesthetics with NBA-level amenities.

Horse Stables and Riding Arena: Plans also include stables for six horses, along with a sizeable riding arena, reinforcing the estate’s self-contained, ultra-luxury lifestyle.

Multi-Use Games and Fitness Buildings: An indoor multi-use games building and several gyms will ensure that residents and guests rarely need to leave the property.

Guest and Staff Lodges: Three interconnected guest and staff lodges will further expand the estate’s capacity, ideal for visiting executives, family members, or high-profile guests. Every element of the development is listed for Ellison’s private use.

Despite the scale of the project, locals say Ellison has made concerted efforts to keep his identity under wraps.

Neighbours, speaking anonymously to The Mail on Sunday, say the billionaire “tried to keep it a secret” who was behind the development. But secrecy has become harder to maintain as security tightens and construction intensifies.

Residents describe:

• Security guards with dogs patrolling the perimeter hourly
• A growing network of CCTV cameras mounted on tall poles, some facing public roads
• Bright exterior lighting that remains on throughout the night

Power, Politics, and Digital IDs

Ellison’s deepening ties to the UK go far beyond bricks and mortar.

As chairman of Oracle, he oversees a company that currently holds a £700 million IT contract with four Whitehall departments. Oracle is also widely seen as being well-positioned to benefit from the UK’s future digital ID programme, a policy long championed by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, a close friend of Ellison.

In recent years, Ellison has donated an astonishing £257 million to a think tank run by Blair. In September, it emerged that staff from Oracle and Ellison’s technology institute met ministers and senior officials 29 times in just nine months, following Blair’s recommendation that the government consult the institute. While Labour recently reversed plans to make digital IDs mandatory for proving the right to work, the system is still scheduled to launch in 2029, offering voluntary access to most public services and potentially opening the door to enormous private-sector contracts.

Ellison’s Oxfordshire estate sits just 20 minutes from the site of his £1 billion Ellison Institute of Technology campus, currently under construction. It is also only 40 minutes from Tony Blair’s Grade I-listed 18th-century mansion in Buckinghamshire. The geography is hard to ignore. This is not just a countryside retreat. It appears to be a strategic UK base, one that blends political proximity, technological ambition, and extreme privacy.

A Billionaire Lifestyle Without Borders

At 81, Ellison shows no sign of slowing down. He married his fifth wife, Jolin Zhu, now 33, around seven years ago, and locals speculate that many of the estate’s leisure-focused additions are designed with her in mind.

Globally, Ellison’s property portfolio already includes:

• The entire Hawaiian island of Lāna‘i
• Vast estates in California
• Mansions in Rhode Island
• Beachfront compounds in Florida
• Properties in San Francisco
• A home in Kyoto, Japan

Now, Oxfordshire joins that elite list.

To supporters, Ellison’s project is simply another example of private investment flowing into the UK. To critics, it raises uncomfortable questions about wealth, influence, environmental impact, and political proximity. For local residents, however, the issue is more immediate: the transformation of a once-quiet countryside into the backdrop for a global billionaire’s private world.

Whether seen as a symbol of progress or a sign of growing inequality, one thing is certain, Larry Ellison’s Oxfordshire compound is no longer a secret. And as construction continues, all eyes will remain on what this powerful newcomer’s presence means for the future of Britain’s countryside and its politics.

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