David Gilmour, the legendary guitarist for the world-famous rock band Pink Floyd, is in a legal dispute over his £10 million ($13 million) mansion after a clerical error left him without legal ownership of his home, Medina House.
The six-bedroom house where Gilmour, 78, and his wife, Polly Samson, lived for many years was recently revealed to be Crown property. According to the Daily Mail, they are now suing the government to “fix” the situation so they can sell their house.
The mistake dates back to 2011 when Gilmour’s company, Hoveco Ltd, bought Medina House, a renovated Victorian bathhouse with sea views.
But when the company was wound up in 2014, ownership of Gilmour’s assets did not belong to him – it counted as “bonavacia” (or vacant goods) – meaning it was automatically entitled to the Crown under law of the United Kingdom.
Gilmour, 63, brought legal action at the High Court in London against the Attorney General, seeking an order to transfer ownership of the land to his name.
According to legal experts, this is an unusual situation and a big surprise for Gilmour, who considered himself the legal owner of the house for more than 10 years.
“Imagine owning a multi-million dollar home that actually doesn’t,” says Nick Brett, a partner at Brett Wilson LLP. “It’s an extraordinary situation and also extremely rare.”
The 6,284-square-foot Medina home features a courtyard, four bathrooms, a gym, and a library. The facility was originally built in Victorian times as the Medina Baths but was significantly renovated when Gilmour and Samson purchased it.
Gilmour was granted planning permission in 2017 despite opposition from neighbors at the time due to concerns that the sub-storey would block light from neighboring houses. The couple had plans to turn the dilapidated site into a family home but some unforeseen difficulties arose.
In 2022, the asking price was £15 million ($19 million); it has since sold for £10 million ($13 million). For now, however, the law surrounding its ownership appears to remain a legal quagmire, which needs to be resolved before it can be sold.
Gilmour and Samson describe it as their home and lament that it never became the family oasis they imagined. They now live in a one-bedroom apartment nearby.
Gilmour, whose fortune is said to be around 140 million pounds ($178 million), can afford the legal costs of this lawsuit but is determined to regain ownership of the house.
To date, Gilmour’s management has declined to comment on the litigation.
Tags Pink Floyd, David Gilmour