Woodley, the former home of guitarist David Gilmour, sits on 4.66 acres in Roydon, Essex, and has just hit the market for £1.1 million. The 2,200‑sq‑ft farmhouse boasts a lake with a private island, an outbuilding‑converted studio, a swimming pool and a collection of stables and summer houses that keep it from being a typical village plot.
Gilmour bought the property in 1970, just as the band was breaking into the mainstream. He turned the mock‑Tudor home into a secret recording studio, a move that allowed him to lay down tracks away from the glare of studio lights. The album cover of his 1978 solo release even shows him standing beside the timber‑clad garages of Woodley, cementing the house’s place in his visual legacy.
Ginger, his first wife, joined him there after their 1975 wedding and helped turn the cold, draughty farmhouse into a livable retreat. She remembers the long nights of fixing windows and adding insulation, and the couple lived there until 1980 when they moved to Hook End. The estate agent notes that the house still needs extensive modernization, a reality that buyers must weigh against its historic allure.
The estate agent is accepting offers until the end of the month, urging interested parties to act quickly because the property’s historic features come with a significant renovation burden.