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Heck of a Home Studio

There are different levels of home studios—typical consumer ones outfitted with basic MI gear; serious workspaces owned by professional recordists and musicians; and then there’s the handful that are hardcore enough to have hosted heavyweight recording sessions by artists known around the world.

There are different levels of home studios—typical consumer ones outfitted with basic MI gear; serious workspaces owned by professional recordists and musicians; and then there’s the handful that are hardcore enough to have hosted heavyweight recording sessions by artists known around the world. Into that last category, you can place the facility inside this jaw-dropping estate, St. Anne’s Court in Surrey, UK, 10 minutes from Heathrow Airport. According to the UK’s Daily Mail, the estate—comprised of a unique 1930s modernist house and its 19th Century coach house—is currently on the market for a mere £9 million (more than $12 million US), and has been used as a location for TV shows and fashion photo shoots.

The St. Anne’s Court studio control room. Photo: The Modern House

For some, however, the main calling card will be its studio, which has hosted the likes of Roxy Music, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, and Paul Weller. The Roxy Music connection is straightforward enough—St. Anne’s Court used to belong to guitarist/producer, Phil Manzanera, who after purchasing the site in 1977, converted the brick coach house into a studio. There, the band recorded tracks that eventually appeared on Flesh + Blood and Avalon. After the group broke up, he continued to record projects onsite and run an indie label there as well until selling the home in the late 1990s.

The St. Anne’s Court studio’s live room. Photo: The Modern House

Since then, current owner/tech mogul/indie label head Osman Kent reportedly spent two years updating the studio, coach house and the circular six-bedroom, 6,500-square-foot house designed by architect Sir Raymond McGrath. If any well-heeled PSN readers pick this place up, make sure to invite us for a look around!

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