It has been a ‘party palace’ for rock royalty – and the guests to have walked through its doors include Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Eric Clapton.
Now the London mansion owned by The Who’s Pete Townshend is up for sale – with a £15million price tag.
The six-bedroom Grade I-listed Georgian house called The Wick was previously owned by Oscar-winning Ryan’s Daughter actor Sir John Mills and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.
It became a music mecca in the 1970s, attracting top rock talent including Clapton, Bowie, the Stones and The Who. Rehearsals took place in a studio during the day. Nights would also be spent jamming, with Wood and Jagger playing guitar while Bowie chipped in with vocals.
Townshend, 76, bought The Wick on Richmond Hill, south-west London, from George Michael’s music publisher Dick Leahy – the man who signed the Bay City Rollers – in 1996.
The luxury property, built in 1775, has five bathrooms and a swimming pool – and boasts panoramic views over the Thames.
Townshend, who lives there with his composer wife Rachel Fuller, built a new conservatory and vinery. The home also has a music studio and boasts chandeliers, ornate plasterwork and artwork – and even rooms for dogs.
It was home to the Mills family in the 1950s. They sold it in 1956 and bought it back again in 1964 before it passed to Wood in 1972.
The rocker, 74, previously revealed he went ‘way beyond his means’ to purchase the property as well as the neighbouring Wick Cottage, which he said had a ‘revolving door populated with the world’s top musicians’. The cottage was bought for £3.25million in 2016.
The anonymous buyer said: ‘My husband is obsessed with [Stones guitar legend] Keith Richards – he’ll dress up as him whenever Halloween gives him the chance. He actually found Wick Cottage because it was mentioned in Keith Richards’ biography. It used to be owned by Ronnie Wood along with the house beside it and together it became one huge party palace.’
Richards, 77, moved into the cottage for months at a time in the 1970s as did Clapton, with other top musicians using the studio. Ronnie is pictured above with Krissie Wood outside The Wick. Rehearsals took place in a studio during the day. Nights would also be spent jamming, with Wood and Jagger playing guitar while Bowie chipped in with vocals
