Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour is selling his controversial seafront home for £15 million as it is “surplus to requirements”. WATCH:
The sale follows backlash from locals over the transformation of a former Victorian bathhouse at the 8,000 square feet home from in Hove, East Sussex.
Gilmour, 76, and his wife Polly Samson, 60, bought the derelict £2.5 million 19th Century Turkish bathhouse in 2015 and started on a huge transformation project.
They knocked down the baths in 2018 after surveyors claimed it was beyond repair due to a series of fires – but residents hit out, saying it was “appalling and disrespectful” to get rid of the Grade-II listed building.
Due to Covid-19, the completion of the 15-bedroom home on the Hove seafront was delayed, with the couple only moving into their renovated home last year.
But just 18 months later, Gilmour, who lives with his family on a farm in Wisborough Green near Horsham, West Sussex, has decided to give up ‘Medina House’.
London-based property firm Pereds said on Wednesday (17.08.22) about the sale: “It hadn’t been possible at the outset to predict that, by the time the new building was completed and handed over, Gilmour and Samson’s children had flown the nest and chosen to live in London.
“So, at the time of writing, this exquisite seaside palace finds itself somewhat surplus to requirements, along with David’s nearby state-of-the-art recording studio, converted from a Victorian artist’s studio, complete with private parking for several cars.”
Pereds added about the bathhouse work: “The former 19th century bathhouse had lain disused for several years since being vacated by a firm of Dutch diamond cutters.
“Where others saw only an eyesore, David and Polly spotted an exciting opportunity to restore the derelict building and make the perfect home for their family.
“It was not being offered for sale but their agent Perry Press of long-established property consultants Pereds entered into negotiations with the developer owner and by the summer of 2015 terms were agreed for the acquisition of the entire property together with an adjoining cottage.”
The renovated property now includes a cottage, shower room for dogs, recording studio, parking and a huge courtyard.
Keb Garavito Bruhn, a founding partner of the architecture firm Pilbrow and Partners, was brought in to design the property.
According to Pereds, Gilmour and Samson said: “The main bedroom, with sea views in all directions, is a beautiful place from which to watch the sunrise and sunset across the sea.
“When you wake up in the morning, the view is always a surprise: the sea and sky are never the same. At night, it’s intoxicating to watch from bed the moon reflected in the water.”
The only surviving building from the famous King's Esplanade in Hove, the bathhouse first opened in 1894 offering women slipper baths and steam rooms.
Campaigners ‘Save Hove from Property Tycoons’ referenced Pink Floyd’s lyrics to ‘Another Brick in the Wall, Part II’ in one protest against the bathhouse renovation.
It said about the work: “We don't need no demolition, we don’t need no thoughtless plans, no tall dark shadows across our windows. Leave Medina House Alone.
“Hey Gilmour, leave our hood alone. All in all it’s just another betrayal of us all, to you it’s just another brick in the wall.”
Twice married dad-of-eight Gilmour, who joined Pink Floyd in 1967 and performed on albums including ‘The Wall’ and ‘Wish You Were Here, is said to be worth £180 million.
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