The house in which "Feed The World" was written He bought his first home - a cottage in Olympia, west London - for £2,000 in 1962, selling it four years later for £10,000. He followed it up with a wreck in Richmond costing £25,000, which he turned into a £70,000 gem. This kept going even during the next three decades, when he created a publishing empire of magazines covering the explosion of interest in mobile telephones, satellite and video, home cinemas and finally the internet. On the side, Alan was the public relations man for Roy Orbison in Europe. "I was working professionally during the day, going to concerts and sometimes travelling a lot, then worked on the house in the evening and at weekends," he says. Most of the houses we lived in, but I bought some as pure investments to improve in Hampstead. "I sold one to Jamie Oliver - he was all "hello matey" on the phone, and he agreed to pay £25,000 over the asking price to secure it," says Alan. His work on Zachary House was inspired by the condition when he bought it. "With all respect to Midge Ure, it was in a state of benign neglect when he left," says Alan. No one can say that now. Alan has combined the main house, a garage block and cottage to form a single property on a grand scale, carefully preserved in line with its Grade II listed status. Nine main windows on three floors enjoy dramatic views of the Thames while several long open-plan rooms would be perfect as arts areas: one acts as a home cinema now, another is a recording studio. There are two garages, a garden, greenhouse, a conservatory and two kitchens - the list goes on. This property may not go to a British buyer. They're probably reluctant to buy a large house right now. But it'll be snapped up by an artist, likely from overseas, who wants the rare mix of space and privacy that's here," says Bella Tellwright of Crayson, the estate agency selling the house (for £6.95 million, 020 7221 1117; crayson.com). As for Alan Smith, he is going to split his future time between a smaller home he plans to buy in London and a villa he already owns in Marrakesh. And any plans for another renovation project? Not on your life. "At my age, I'm all out of projects," he says. I owe a lot, including this house, to music. Now it's time to sit back and listen to a little of it.