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“Musical history” – House that inspired legendary Brit folk band Fairport Convention on sale for whopping £6m

THE HOUSE that gave the name to famous folk band Fairport Convention has been listed for sale for a cool £6 million.

The eight bedroom property, located in Fortis Green, north London was listed for sale on property website Rightmove last Thursday.

Fairport was the property in which the band’s guitarist Simon Nicol – the son of a local GP – was brought up, rehearsed and thus named the group after.

The house that inspired Fairport Convention
The house that inspired Fairport Convention. Image courtesy of Tatlers/Rightmove.

House-hunter and long-time Fairport fan James Rose spotted the impressive property for sale on Monday and was starstruck upon seeing the house’s interior.

The corner-terrace house is distinguished by its tall chimney and boasts eight bedrooms, three bathrooms, three reception rooms, and an annex with a garage that houses four cars, as well as a separate flat above it.

Images show the property in all its glory, featuring a grand marble fireplace in both the dining room and living rooms with classy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

The living room features warm, plush, red sofas that blend into its peach-coloured walls whilst one of the three reception rooms next to the living room is more snug and quiet with leather sofas.

The kitchen however strays away from the grand, classic heritage vibe as it is very open with modern, white counters and light woods.

As buyers make their way up to the second floor they are greeted with a jaw-dropping bedroom that has a high ceiling with three individual windows that shine light directly onto the bed.

The garden – which is as long as a cricket pitch – showcases a large communal area with benches surrounding the exterior.

Listed by estate agents Tatlers, the description reads: “‘Fairport’ the inspiration in the name of infamous rock/folk band Fairport Convention who rehearsed here in the 60s.

“An imposing residence of local importance is this detached period villa built circa 1908 affording just under 6,000 sq. ft of accommodation laid out over three floors, plus a separate annex housing a four-car garage with self-contained one bed flat above.

“The property is offered in well-presented condition and offers a unique opportunity to acquire a spacious residence in this most desirable location.”

Copyrighter James shared the house to social media on Monday with the caption: “Fairport is for sale!”

The post has attracted a host of comments from fans of the band who were left astonished by the house’s eye-watering price tag.

Billy Dods joked: “Yours for 25,000 mint 1969 pressings of [Fairport Convention’s album] Unhalfbricking.”

Paul Craig wrote: “Musical history for sale. £6 million.”

Josienne Clarke quipped: “I could live the dream for a cool £6,000,000.”

Angie took the band’s 1970 album Full House and punned: “Empty House #boomtish.”

House-hunter James Rose.
House-hunter James Rose. Credits: Deadline News.

Speaking today James, 56, said: “I used to live in Muswell Hill and I’ve been a Fairport fan since about 1981.

“I’d sing or whistle a tune of theirs every time I walked past.

“These days I’m a ridiculous house-hunter so coming across Fairport on the site yesterday sent me into a perfect reverie of living in such a culturally important place.

“They will have written a lot of those first four albums there, but if you read White Bicycles – producer Joe Boyd’s account of the era – he recorded them elsewhere.

“It’s a wonderful house, but the worry is that for that price, a buyer will ‘improve’ it. The typical large rambling family home there is half that price.”

A spokesperson for Tatlers said today: “It’s a brilliant opportunity to purchase this substantial family house with separate rear annex which could be further converted subject to planning.

“Simon Nicol – son of a local GP – was bought up and founded the iconic British band Fairport Convention in 1967 and rehearsed here, Fairport being the inspiration for the band’s name.”

The average property price for the Fortis Green area was an incredible £653,125 last year, according to Rightmove.

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