This luxury floating home might not have an engine, but it’s got just about everything else. According to Daily Mail, this glass-fronted property dubbed Back to the Moon calls Taggs Island near Hampton Court Palace, London, home.
Secured with a 125-foot river frontage mooring and actually attached to piles driven into the riverbed of the Thames, this stable 3,000 square foot architectural wonder boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, a lush back garden, a summerhouse, parking for five cars, and space for motorboats or runabouts to moor. The private grounds stretch out over half an acre for the biggest plot on the island, and the flexible 98-foot layout could be converted to a five-bedroom floating home. Unlike your average houseboat, this place also has all mains services.
Along with this water-bound residence, Taggs Island is home to 60 eclectically designed houseboats and has long been a very coveted Bohemian-esque paradise for the wealthy. The island has a rich and exiting history; in the 1880s, big names such as Actress Sarah Bernhardt and Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie were attracted to the island and its unique collection of houseboats. Theatre impresario Fred Karno (who discovered Charlie Chaplin) built a hotel there.
Following World War I, Taggs Island began falling into decline, so the center of the island was excavated to create a lagoon in 1983, thus increasing the capacity for houseboats. Pink Floyd's David Gilmour actually bought one in 1986 and converted it into a floating studio, where “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” and “The Division Bell” were recorded.
Currently, Back to the Moon is actually one of nine floating homes that are freehold. Marketer Francis Stickney from Riverhomes says, “This property is one of a kind…What's more, buyers won't have any of the maintenance issues associated with conventional houseboats.”
Though many houseboaters probably view the mobility of an engine preferable over easier maintenance, it's an interesting trade-off. Currently on sale for £1.85 million, Stickney can boldly say that Back to the Moon will give anyone “arguably the best views in the country." To check out more interesting details of this unique houseboat, visit DailyMail.com.
Photos credited to Riverhomes/BNPS