Photo Courtesy of Jasmin Lee (Dean Street Studios, London)

 

Mainly Music Oriented Clientele In Real Realty: Is how Alvin Lee and George Harrison became next door neighbours. Rumour has it, that their estates had adjoining backyards.   Perry Press, who was the founder of Pereds, was a close friend of the following: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones), Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Paul and Linda McCartney, Peter Frampton, George and Pattie (Boyd) Harrison, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Peter Grant, Richard Harris, Alvin Lee, Ric Lee, Leo Lyons, John Entwistle, Roger Daltry and Keith Moon…the list goes on and on. “A few of my musician friends had gone to America and come back with some dollars in their pockets, so they were now in a position to consider buying a house for themselves, rather than paying rent”. On the one hand, this was a good time for affluent, hairy upstarts to enter the upper echelons of the property market, particularly outside of London, where an increasing number of distinguished old and historical houses were proving to be too expensive for their now elderly owners to maintain any longer. On the other hand, reticence or just plain embarrassment would often inhibit these down at the heel proprietors from putting their country piles on the market. Back in the early 1970’s – “Almost nobody had any money then, except for the young creative, and overly ambitious types. The young ones who did have a good amount of disposable income at hand, didn’t have an appreciation for the splendour and joys of becoming a homeowner. If they were even the exception to that rule, they were in no way prepared to undertake the extensive amount of upkeep and costly maintenance involved on a yearly basis. What some thought of as glorious seclusion, with the peace and quiet that goes along with that cultural class privilege, others considered it to be, unacceptable, too remote and too boring.                                                        Alvin Lee   It was Alvin Lee who was the first to lead the way, out into the country, running from the city as he wrote. The first purchase that Perry completed as a buyer agent, was when he hunted down a house known as “Robin Hood Barn” that was near Wokingham for Alvin. Alvin Lee by then, was returning to England as a certified guitar god hero, having conquered the American, heart and soul, by way of the 1969 Woodstock Festival. Ten Years After made their mark and never had to look for work or fame ever again. As Alvin was aptly born and bred in Nottingham. It wasn’t only Alvin who wanted to advance is lot in life, but the other members of the band also wanted to be part of the country lifestyle and bought homes in the countryside. Ric Lee had a big “Manor House” and Leo Lyons had horses, wagons and a farm of his own. Their needs were promptly fulfilled, in carefully selected areas within the Chilterns.                                                    George Harrison  In a special request Perry placed an ad in the personal column of  The Times soliciting a response from anyone wishing to part with their large secluded country house of character. The search was on to find his good friend George Harrison the perfect domicile, an estate like no other that would suit George’s desire for the unique, functional, beautiful, exotic and whimsical. George and Pattie had outgrown George’s psychedelic bungalow in Esher and very much wanted to move to somewhere a bit more spacious and defiantly private and secluded. It just so happened that that a community of nuns replied to the request, as they were contemplating selling their precious and prized convent. The convent was an old “High Victorian Gothic Folly” – with lakes and extensive grounds right on the edge of Henley- on – the – Thames. Called “Friar Park” which duly became George Harrison’s main home. The gardens became his magnificent obsession, for the remainder of his life.   There was a severe economic down-turn in the early 1970’s which caused a great deal of major belt-tightening elsewhere, but this in no way affected the earnings of Britain’s major rock stars who were at the top of their game.                                                  Alvin Lee’s “Hookend Manor”    Hookend Manor, was a house near Henley that was originally found for Alvin as a replacement, when his “Robin Hood Barn” was sold to a land developer for a kings ransom. Alvin bought Hookend Manor in 1972 and sold it to David Gilmour in 1980. John Entwistle – aquired his home from a very ince Jewish pig farmer. “Quarwood at Stow-on-the-Wold” in Glouestershire. Roger Daltry – bought a lovely old ironmaster’s estate in East Sussex where Roger was able to set up the trout farm that he always wanted. Keith Moon – who readily saw the merits of houses that Perry selected, there was merely the risk, that while house hunting, Moonies Pink Rolls Royce would unexpectedly be diverted while in route, and end up at a topless bar in St. James. In 1971, Keith did finally purchase a home from Peter Collinson, who was the film director responsible for the original version of “The Italian Job” and who blew up a Victorian House at St. Anne’s Hill – filming the dramatic demolition for a fee, that would amply cover the expected fine, for failing to secure the proper planning board permit and permission. He subsequently rebuilt it in contemporary style as a series of  pyramids that he considered to be virtually indestructible. But needless to say, Keith Moon proved him wrong about on that account. Keith Moon’s “Tara Estate” in Chertsey, England.