As houses go, it would be hard to find one more steeped in a musical background than Zachary House, at Strand on the Green in the west London suburb of Chiswick which is on the market for slightly more than a song. The Crayson agency is seeking £6.95 million (€8.7 million).
As well as featuring in A Hard Day’s Night, the 1964 Beatles film, in the 1980s the late 18th-century house was bought by Midge Ure, the frontman of 1980s band Ultravox. Ure and Bob Geldof co-wrote Do They Know It’s Christmas (Feed the World) in the lounge.
Downstairs, in the recording studio, the pair composed the backing track that was used for the legendary song that shot to No 1 for five weeks in 1984.
The current owner, Alan Smith, a former editor of NME who went on to create a publishing empire, bought it in 1995.
His work on Zachary House was prompted by its condition when he bought it. “With all respect to Midge Ure, it was in a state of benign neglect when he left,” he told the Telegraph.
Overlooking the Thames, it has six bedrooms, four reception rooms and four bathrooms, a cinema, a library, a studio/gallery, and a top-floor sitting room with a full width terrace overlooking the river.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/6BDEAESQEJH4BHNFRSVZH3W4TM.png)