Hot Press takes first tour of Prince's Paisley Park estate

When word first went out that it would be possible for fans to visit Prince's HQ in the small suburban city of Chanhassen, south west of Minneapolis, in Minnesota, it seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime. And people responded accordingly, booking tickets in advance in huge numbers. Today was the scheduled opening day – and I was fortunate enough to bag a ticket for it. As you can imagine, for a confirmed Prince nut, the sense of expectation and excitement was immense!

Then everything went haywire. The local council pulled the Paisley Park permit on Monday, so that for a time it looked as if no one was going to get near the Purple One's abode.

Eventually, however, following a flurry of diplomatic manoeuvres and not a little controversy, a compromise of sorts was reached.

Don't get me wrong. There's still a lot of disgruntled Prince fans out there. A whole three months of tickets had been sold in advance. In their wisdom, as yet the council have agreed only to endorse three days of permits – for today, October 8 and October 16.

Having booked for today, I was one of the lucky ones, making the sense of occasion all the more dramatic. But would the experience meet expectations? I was on tenterhooks, getting ready for what promised to be an amazing adventure.

There were special buses to bring us in. No one would be allowed to enter Paisley Park, we were told, unless they arrived on one of those buses. And I was on the first one! What an extraordinary feeling that was!

There were 22 people, or thereabouts, in the first group – and we were greeted on arrival by the Mayor. He shook each of us by the hand, and we were ushered into the foyer.

I cried the minute I walked in.

I looked up, and the first thing I saw was the artwork from the VHS of Diamonds And Pearls, which I had as a teenager. To see the original art on the wall, in close-up, was brilliant. It was fascinating seeing how everyone responded: where my reaction was emotional, some of the visitors were hugely solemn about the whole experience.

The level of security was understandably very high. Any sign of a phone or camera and two security guards materialised, to make their presence felt. Taking pictures was a complete no-no.

A MINUTE TO SAY A PRAYER

In the atrium, off to the side, Prince's guitar from Dirty Mind occupies pride of place; there is a Sign O' The Times room with the guitar, drum kit and costume from that tour.

There are purple chairs, high ceilings – it's all tastefully set out.

Then, right in the centre we come upon a glass case, containing a miniature model of Paisley Park. At which point, we are informed that we are looking at Prince's urn. The blood drains from my face.

Yes, Prince's ashes are in a miniature Paisley Park structure in the atrium of Paisley Park itself. The feeling of shock is hard to escape. Here, you are looking at the mortal remains of one of the greatest musicians ever to grace the planet.

They give us a minute to say a prayer, or to pay our respects in whatever way feels appropriate. Standing there, trying to absorb it all, is a very strange sensation indeed...

NOTHING LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BEEN STAGED

From there, we were brought into Studio A; Love/Sexy was recorded here, and James Brown, Madonna and a load of others have worked in this room. They played some of a jazz record Prince had been recording for us. Again, it was a surreal moment – but the studio itself didn't look like it had been touched since Prince had last been there. From the cables and pedals to the drum kit, nothing seemed as if it had been staged.

The Purple Rain room contains the motorcycle, the jacket, and the Oscar that he won for the film. Here, the setup looked unfinished. It is an effect that might have been intended. Prince's life ended so unexpectedly, that the sense of things in Paisley Park having been interrupted makes a strange sort of sense. Some of the rooms felt sparse, drawing attention to the memorabilia that is on show.

All of his various awards – Grammys, BRITs, MTV awards and so on – as well as some of his platinum and gold records are gathered in a big corridor. And there are plaques of different kinds throughout the entire building – including ones from various local community centres, recognising donations that Prince made along the way.

We tend to think of Prince as a 'recluse', but seeing these, you recognise that he was connected with what was happening in the community around him through the philanthropic efforts that he otherwise kept quiet. It is a nice thought, on which to linger over night...

WE'LL HAVE MORE FROM INSIDE PRINCE'S PAISLEY PARK HOME TOMORROW MORNING