Astoria is moored on the River Thames at Hampton. It was built in 1911 for impresario Fred Karno who wanted to have the best houseboat on the river. It was permanently moored alongside his hotel, the Karsino, Tagg’s Island. He designed it to be large enough for a 90-piece orchestra to play on deck.
Dave Gilmour purchased the boat in 1986 after seeing it advertised for sale in a copy of Country Life magazine in his dentist’s waiting room.
Parts of three Pink Floyd studio albums: A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987), The Division Bell (1994), and The Endless River (2014), were recorded on the boat.
