www.metro.news/My First Home: Anna PhoebeOliver Stallwood
Published July 20, 2020
■ The violinist bought abroad but has now settled down with her family on the English coast
ROCK violinist Anna Phoebe has toured the world, both as a solo artist and with platinum-selling bands including Roxy Music, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Jethro Tull. But playing arenas in her early twenties didn’t mean it was easy getting onto the property ladder — so she looked elsewhere to get her foot on the rung cheaply before upgrading later in life to get her dream place by the sea. Now 39, Anna currently lives in Deal, Kent, and her instrumental duo AVAWaves released debut album Waves last year.
When and where did you buy your first home?
I was 25 and had been touring the States for a few years, having started doing arena tours at the age of 22 with Trans-Siberian Orchestra and earning a lot of money. I was living in London and realised I wouldn’t be able to buy in London as a freelancer, so I bought a small flat in Berlin.
I had been living in London since I was 17. But when I managed to save for a deposit, I knew it would be a real struggle to afford one. I would have had to get a job in the city and give up music. I didn’t feel particularly tied to anywhere so thought I’d stay in Berlin, but it didn’t work out like that.
I thought I would base myself there but just after I had driven all my belongings out to Germany, I met my husband [TV presenter Gavin Esler] and started spending more time with him in London. Also, I was touring eight months of the year so, even though psychologically it felt like a home, I didn’t really spend any time there, and realised the UK was really where I wanted to be based.
I was touring less when I got to 30 and had a baby and all my contacts and the music industry were in the UK at the time. I wanted to settle down and because I grew up in St Andrews [in Fife] I missed the sea.
Where did you go?
I bought a 400-year-old smugglers’ cottage with three bedrooms. I had a budget and knew I wanted to be two hours from London. I’ve always been super-independent and I was living in London with my husband and I just wanted to have my own property. It’s not about being separate from your partner, I just wanted my own house to show for all my hard work and that I could be completely accountable for. So I checked out Deal and went down to look at it and just fell in love with it. It didn’t need any work. I just left it how it was. It was a really old cottage just a street from the sea.
Was it easy to sell your place in Berlin?
Yes, super-easy. At the time, places in Berlin were so cheap. I could buy a one-bedroom flat for the same price as a parking spot in London. I managed to get the place from touring and sold it when prices had gone up, which allowed me to buy the much bigger place in Deal.
Do you still own the Deal property?
I sold the Deal place five years ago, and persuaded my husband to move down here. So now we live in Deal, in a much bigger place and I can bring my kids up by the sea. I think just the space and being able to see the horizon and be in nature and walk into town makes it an amazing place to be. I have a fully operating studio in my house and it has changed the way I make music. I love London and have missed the culture during lockdown but when I was living there I didn’t have time to enjoy all of those things. London is only an hour-and-a-half away, which is great.
What advice would you have for first-time buyers?
You don’t need to buy where you want to live. There is a certainty in buying bricks and mortar, it gives you real financial security, but as a freelancer it makes sense to look elsewhere. A lot of people now can’t afford to buy where they want to live these days but you can be smart and invest in somewhere that is affordable.
I am a low-risk person because the music industry is so precarious, and lived within my means. It is really about thinking outside the box. You need flexibility.
How does your home inspire your music?
When you become a parent it changes your dynamic and it’s important to find your own space at home — and it can be difficult to do that. Our garage studio is only two metres away from the house but it is still separate and now I can enjoy being at home with my kids as well as having a workspace from home, which is just great.
I feel really lucky where I am right now. I can sit on the beach in my pyjamas and come back and make music — I love having space to process my thoughts. Cities such as London are great for getting ideas but you also need space and time to process them.
■ annaphoebe.com
link