BRICK IN THE WALL
Pink Floyd legend Dave Gilmour is desperately trying to sell £10m mansion – but HUGE admin error stands in his way
A legal expert has characterised the case as 'incredibly rare'
PINK Floyd legend Dave Gilmour is desperately trying to cash in on his £10million mansion - but an admin error is blocking the sale.
The iconic guitarist and hitmaker, 78, was shocked to discover that his six-bedroom gaff in Hove is actually owned by the Crown.
6
6
6
Gilmour, who has lived in the East Sussex property with wife Polly Samson for years, is now reportedly suing the government, .
The star purchased the coastal Medina House in 2011 through his former company Hoveco Ltd, which he directed.
Spanning 6,284 sq ft, it boasts a courtyard, four bathrooms, a gym, and a covered garden.
Hoveco Ltd dissolved three years after the sale but a mistake meant the ownership was not transferred to the musician.
read more in showbiz
Under UK law, if assets of a business aren't transferred before a company is dissolved, they automatically become ‘bono vacantia’ [vacant goods] and belong to the Crown instead.
Gilmour is now turning his attention to the High Court, where he reportedly plans to sue the Attorney General.
"Imagine thinking you own a house for over a decade, particularly one worth £10-15 million, but then when you want to sell it, you discover you can’t because in fact technically legal ownership may have passed to the State," Nick Brett, Partner at Brett Wilson LLP told MailOnline.
"It must have come as a huge shock when he found out.
Most read in Showbiz
"It’s an extraordinary situation that is also incredibly rare."
The seaside paradise sits close to Hove's ‘Millionaire’s Row’, a plush area which has welcomed star-studded residents including Adele, David Walliams and Fatboy Slim.
Paul O’Grady’s Stunning Mansion Hits the Market
The Gilmours put the home on the market in 2022 for £15million but subsequently lowered it to £10million.
Gilmour and his wife previously spoke proudly about the way they transformed the property.
"It is a beauty, and sad for us that it took so long and was then completed during the pandemic," Polly said of the Hove house last year.
"Our children were still children and living at home when we first bought – and thought we could save the building.
"Now they’ve flown, so Medina House never got the chance to become our family home. We have a one-bedroom flat [also in Hove], which is enough.
"Now there’s just the two of us.
"We’ve had so many memorable parties here. It’s amazing to run across the beach for a swim and then hop back to the house for a sauna.
"Sometimes we’d hop across the beach with our fishing rods, bring back the catch and then cook it on the fire in the winter garden."
The Sun Online has reached out to the Attorney General's office for comment.
HE'S BACK
It comes after rock icon Gilmour made his music comeback for the first time in eight years in October, playing six nights at the iconic Royal Albert Hall.
Gilmour broke away from Pink Floyd in 1985 after falling out with Roger Waters.
In an interview with Uncut, Gilmour said he had an "unwillingness to revisit the Pink Floyd of the Seventies".
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“[Other decades] might be better represented,” he said. “I mean, at least one from the Sixties. The one we’ve done in the past is 1967’s ‘Astronomy.’
"That’s always entertaining and fun and gets people off to a happy start. There’s songs from [1987’s] A Momentary Lapse of Reason and [1994’s] The Division Bell albums. I mean, I think ‘High Hopes’ is as good as anything we ever did at any time.”
6
6
6
Topics