| This Is Where It Was Recorded
                                    
 ![David Gilmour's Astoria Studio [click for larger]](sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/river_thames-near-hampton-court_2008_-_david_gilmour_astoria_-_03.jpg)
 
                                    The Astoria is a house boat turned recording studio owned by David Gilmour, former guitarist with Pink
                                    Floyd. It is moored on the River Thames near Hampton Court. Gilmour purchased the boat in 1986, because he "spent half of
                                    [his] life in recording studios with no windows, no light" but on the boat there are many windows, with beautiful scenery
                                    on the outside". The boat was built in 1911 for impresario Fred Karno, who wanted to have the best houseboat on the river. He designed it so that there could be an entire 90-piece orchestra playing
                                    on the deck of the ship. The two most recent Pink Floyd albums, A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell were recorded
                                    on the boat, as well latest David Gilmour solo album On An Island. It
                                    was also used for mastering the sound of Pink Floyd live albums Delicate Sound of Thunder and P•U•L•S•E
                                    as well as the P•U•L•S•E VHS/DVD, David Gilmour's Remember That Night DVD and forthcoming live album,
                                    Live in Gdańsk.
                                    
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                                       | ![David Gilmour in the studio [click for larger]](sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/dg-astoria.jpg)
 
                                             the house boat on which David Gilmour's Astoria recording studio is situated, was owned, at one point, by this  reknowned comic.
                                              
                                             The riverside garden where  Astoria is moored
                                             was  part of Garrick’s
                                             House and  is reached via a tunnel/grotto
                                              (supposedly designed by
                                              Capability Brown) under
                                             the  road. But it is private—there
                                              is no public access, so
                                             you  can only see it from the
                                             Surrey bank
                                              
                                             a 2005 British television series that featured David Gilmour as the special guest on this particular episode
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