Here’s the chance if you want to own a piece of Pink Floyd memorabilia. For the first time in decades, the house where rock n’ roll band Pink Floyd was formed is on the market. Real estate auction house Savills Auctions is all set to sell the Victorian house to the highest bidder on Sept 20.
It's a non-distressed sale and bidding will start at about $1.9 million, Forbes reported.
A homemade xylophone, bongo drums and various other articles that are said to have inspired the artwork of the band’s album "Dark Side of the Moon" has been left intact in the house, according to the report.
The three-storey house, located in Stanhope Gardens, Highgate (London), was owned by Mike Leonard who was the three-member band’s college tutor and later, landlord.
Leonard’s workshop is also said to be intact. It was here that he designed the lighting systems that contributed to the band’s image.
It is believed that bass player and vocalist Roger Waters and drummer Nick Mason occupied the flat in 1963. They were later joined by early lead singer Syd Barrett after a year. It is said that every member of the band has lived in the apartment at some time or the other by the time the group was formed in 1965.
The house and their landlord is said to have been crucial in the formation of the band.
Mark Blake, author of "Pigs Might Fly: The Inside Story Of Pink Floyd," told the Daily Mail: “It was a very good environment for young student musicians to be living. It gave somewhere for them to live and somewhere to rehearse with a sympathetic landlord who did not mind about them making a noise. This is where Pink Floyd started to come together.”
The English band gained international recognition with their progressive music in the 60s. They are considered one of the most influential music bands in the history of popular music due to their use of philosophical lyrics in many of their songs.
Besides "The Dark Side of the Moon," some of their commercially hit albums include "Wish You Were Here," "Animals" and "The Wall."
At present, the rental resembles a fraternity house that is in urgent need of renovation.
“Nothing has really been done to it since the 60s and 70s,” Chris Coleman Smith of Savills Auctions told Forbes. “You get the feel of what it was like to have the Pink Floyd guys living in their rented rooms and trying to get their start.”
He further told the Daily Mail that the auction was a golden opportunity for a fan to buy an unmodernized home in the locality. “Who knows, we might get some Pink Floyd fan flying in to buy it,” he said.
Fan Buys Muhammad Ali’s Childhood Home
Last week an iconic house was bought by a fan. The childhood home of boxing legend Muhammad Ali was bought by real estate investor Jared Weiss, who paid far more than the asking price.
The urge to own an important aspect of the boxing legend’s life forced Weiss’ to turn a blind eye on the condition of the property, as he paid $70,000 for the house, though the asking price of was only $50,000.
“The guy’s a huge Ali fan, and that’s what kind of spurred this,” Louisville realtor Dave Lambrechts told Complex Sports.
