Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin at His New Thameside House at Pangbourne, Berkshire, January 1970

Jimmy Page at his home in the Riverside lounge at Pangbourne, where “Whole Lotta Love” and “What Is and What Should Never Be” were routined. There was a particular energy about that house and it was quite a catalyst for everything that went on.

“I came up with the guitar riff for ‘Whole Lotta Love’ in the summer of ’68, on my houseboat along the Thames in Pangbourne, England. I suppose my early love for big intros by rockabilly guitarists was an inspiration, but as soon as I developed the riff, I knew it was strong enough to drive the entire song, not just open it. When I played the riff for the band in my living room several weeks later during rehearsals for our first album, the excitement was immediate and collective. We felt the riff was addictive, like a forbidden thing.”

Originally the home was a boathouse for hiring and maintenance of boats belonging to the firm Hopps of Henley from the 19th century until 1959 when it was transformed into a residential home. Jimmy purchased the house in 1967 for £6,000, using money he had saved up as a working session guitarist.

In an interview with Chris Welch for Melody Maker Magazine in 1970, Jimmy described how he acquired the home. “I bought the house about two and a half years ago when I was in The Yardbirds. There hasn’t been much time to decorate, being away in the states so much, but you wouldn’t have believed the scene when I moved in. The previous owner had great garlands of plastic flowers everywhere. She even had a barrow in the corner decorated with plastic flowers. It was like a Norseman’s funeral when we we threw all the flowers in the river.”

The living room in the Riverside Lounge became the birthplace of the thunderous, electrifying sounds of “Whole Lotta Love” and “What Is and What Should Never Be.” The energy within those walls was palpable as the band fed off each other’s enthusiasm, pushing the boundaries of their craft and discovering their musical identity. Page, with his mastery of the guitar, led the charge, but it was the chemistry between all four members that gave these sessions a unique and unforgettable quality.

With its hardwood floors and minimalistic furnishings, the Riverside Lounge provided an acoustic clarity that helped refine the band’s sound. The open space allowed Page’s riffs to reverberate freely, while Bonham’s thunderous drumming found its resonance. It was in this setting that the band’s sonic experimentation took flight. Here, Zeppelin’s music transcended the boundaries of traditional rock, blending blues, psychedelic, and hard rock elements into a genre-defining sound.

“Whole Lotta Love,” with its pulsating riff and powerful lyrics, was a direct product of these sessions. The song would go on to become one of the defining tracks of the late 1960s and a hallmark of Zeppelin’s legacy. The success of the song was a direct testament to the magic that Riverside Lounge seemed to imbue in those who played within its walls. The track’s sensual, hypnotic quality mirrored the riverside atmosphere—a flow of energy and creativity that ebbed and surged, much like the Thames itself.

Similarly, “What Is and What Should Never Be,” with its delicate verses juxtaposed against explosive choruses, mirrored the duality of the Riverside Lounge: a place of peaceful seclusion that could suddenly erupt with electric intensity. Page’s use of panning techniques, which he experimented with during these sessions, showcased the band’s desire to push sonic boundaries and redefine what rock music could be.

The Riverside Lounge in Pangbourne, with its secluded yet stimulating environment, became more than a home for Jimmy Page. It became a catalyst for Zeppelin’s early works, infusing their music with a distinctive, transformative quality that still resonates today. This house, its presence etched in the annals of rock history, was not merely the backdrop for creativity but an integral part of the band’s journey.

Looking back, it’s clear that the Riverside Lounge played an irreplaceable role in shaping the early sound of Led Zeppelin. The house’s energy—combining seclusion, the ever-present hum of the river, and the synergy of four musicians discovering their identity—fueled the creation of some of the most recognizable rock anthems in history. And it all began with a riff on a houseboat and a living room rehearsal that sparked the fire of Led Zeppelin’s legend.

As Jimmy Page once mused, “That house, those times... they were pure magic. We didn’t know it then, but we were making history.”