Page's homes

[gibsonfan159]

Here's a neat article I found that gives some details on the homes Jimmy has owned.

http://dereklangille.blogspot.com/2010/07/jimmys-cribs.html

 

What I find more interesting is Jimmy's obsession with waterfront property. The first four homes he purchased all had water of some type around them. Maybe that's what sparked his creativity? Page said he wrote "Friends" while sitting on the balcony of his Thames boathouse. I wonder what he wrote at Boleskine?

[SteveAJones]

He hasn't released anything written at Boleskine, and as far as I know he never wrote anything there. He very seldom went there, though the Hermit fantasy sequence in TSRTS was filmed beneath a full moon on an outcropping of rocks overlooking the property. I believe this vantage point can be seen on Google Earth, though Boleskine burned down not long ago.  

[IpMan]

Indeed, according to the late caretaker of the property (he was caretaker the whole time Jimmy owned Boleskine), Jimmy spent a total of three weeks in the house over all the years he owned it. Seemed like it was just the ultimate Crowley collectable and nothing more. Jimmy even visited the Abbey of Thelema at Cefalu a few times with the intent of purchasing, however due to the homes reputation, and a death occurring on property while Crowley & Co. were in residence, the Sicilian authorities pretty much would not allow anything regarding the property. The place was a wreck by the early 70's, Thelemites and occultist frequently sneak on the grounds and steal pieces of the abbey and the murals Crowley painted on the walls are mostly gone.

Anyway...the homes Jimmy owned which he actually enjoyed were Pangbourne, Plumpton, and Tower House as those were the homes he lived in consistently.

Old Mill House I am surprised he held on to as long as he did as that is where Bonham died shortly after he purchased the home in 1980.

[paplbojo]

I would not say that the water sparked his creativity but fostered it and amplified it, no doubt. Being near to and around water has been evidenced to have myriad positive mental health side effects and I really do believe he noticed this and took a liking to it's effects. I don't remember where I read it or which home it referred to but I remember reading that he would take girls out rowing in one of his ponds or lakes. Maybe it was just a pickup tool.  (just kidding). Maybe Robert Plant said it about the first time he went to Jimmy's house to audition, and he also commented on the sophistication of Page's lifestyle already at that point (esp when compared to Plant's at that time).

[Boleskinner]

Me and a couple of my mates visited Boleskine in the early 90s.

Bus from Inverness and then a bit of a hike to other side of Loch Ness.

When I say visited, we got to the gates and sort of hung about trying to peer up the driveway, before a caretaker guy came out to see what we were up to.

He was pretty friendly and said that a Japanese guy owned the house at that point.

He also said that the house was spooky and he had had a few weird experiences there, but didn't elaborate. All taken with a pinch of salt, I might add!

Was a good laugh at the time.

[NealR2000]

I believe he currently owns two homes, one being Tower House and the other being Deanery Garden in Sonning. Deanery Garden is close to, but not on the Thames.  

 

[A Man I Know]

Funny that I came across this thread earlier because I just happened to have visited the Pangbourne boat house for the first time yesterday when I had some time to waste before heading to Heathrow for my flight home.

I've attached a couple of unremarkable pics that I took.

What struck me is that the house lacks the sort of privacy that you'd think a celebrity would be looking for. Everyone who gets off a train a Pangbourne Station would pass within yards of Jimmy's front door. However, I don't think he was driver back in the day, so maybe the proximity to the train station was a selling point for him! 

I used to travel in and around the Loch Ness area in the summertime during the 1990s, so managed to visit Boleskine several times. The field on the Foyers side of the property gave good views of the building without getting close enough to bother the residents. It's an amazing setting and a real pity to see what became of it.

I remember being inspired by the ZepTrek '97 Webpage from the early days of the internet, which is worth a read if you haven't come across it before. 

I did a watered down version of their trip at the time, taking in Raglan Castle, Bonzo's resting place and then miserably failing to find Plan't's house. If I had found it, I certainly wouldn't have knocked on his door like the ZepTrek women did! 

 

[Boleskinner]

Thanks, A man I know.

Those Pangbourne pics are really interesting.

Like you, I always imagined it was more secluded and off the beaten track.

Instead, as you point out, it's on a main road and directly opposite a train station!

Is that a boozer a couple of doors down? 

Yes, Boleskine is in an amazing location. Always dreamt about having a house overlooking Loch Ness. Very mysterious and atmospheric, and if my memory serves me right, it's on the other side of the loch from Urquhart castle and most of the touristy stuff.