Chiswick House Where Band Aid Song Composed For Sale

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Zachary House on market for nearly £7 million

The Strand-on-the Green house where the Band Aid theme ‘Do They Know Its Christmas?’ was written is up for sale for £6.95 million.

This is a reduction of £3 million on the £10m asking price when it was last put on the market in 2007.

Zachary House is being sold by Alan Smith, former editor of the New Musical Express (NME), and his partner Bev Sage, once a lead singer with the band 'Modern Romance'.

It was once owned by Ultravox singer Midge Ure, who co-wrote the Band Aid theme song in the downstairs studio with Bob Geldof. The song was a Christmas 1984 Number One for five weeks and one of the biggest selling singles of all time.

The house also featured in A Hard Day’s Night, the 1964 Beatles film, with scenes filmed at Strand on the Green.

Crayson, the estate agents selling the house believe it will probably go to a buyer who wants the combination of space and privacy offered by its location. Some extended families have also expressed interest and one viewer has shown interest in acquiring it for its "country house" atmosphere.

The Georgian house has more than 8,500 square feet and when it was last on the market for £10 million, it was even more expensive than Walpole House, which was bought by designer Jasper Conran. However, it was later withdrawn from the market.

The Georgian pile with more than 8,500sq ft of internal space includes six bedrooms, a roof garden, a library, staff quarters, two balconies and three terraces and has the Thames lapping at the front, with spectacular views across the river. It boasts three reception rooms, two studies, three cloakrooms, two kitchens/breakfast rooms, a formal dining room,cinema, studio, laundry room,pantry. There is a conservatory, and a garden room. There are two garages, and a secluded garden with greenhouse.

As editor of the influential NME, Alan Smith turned it into a bible for music fans with a circulation of over 300,000. Yet despite interviewing the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who and Elton John during his career, he says his first love is working on houses. He once sold one of his renovated houses to TV chef Jamie Oliver.

He carried out a good deal of work on Zachary House, combining the main house, a garage block and cottage to form a single dwelling, and carefully preserving its Grade II listed status.

He now intends to split his time between a smaller home in London and a villa in Marrakesh.

“I feel it will go to someone who wants the rare mix of space and privacy that’s here,” says Bella Tellwright of Crayson, the estate agency selling the house ( 020 7221 1117; crayson.com

The house was built in the 1790s and named after Mrs Anna Maria Zachary, a widow, who lived there from 1797. Her son, a barrister of the Inner Temple, succeeded her and remained until at least 1823.

Afterwards it fell into disrepair until Sydney Clough, an architect who designed the Richmond Ice Rink, saw the house whilst passing his small yacht in 1926. He bought it in 1929 and restored it, removing the yacht repair workshop that operated from the ground floor. He battled with the local authority to prevent commercial development when The Moorings site came up for sale. An enthusiastic yachtsman, he was a founder member of the Little Ship Club and was very active in the Yacht and Motor Boat club and the Strand on the Green Sailing Club.

 

October 5, 2012