The home of Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury, is up for sale for the first time since he died.
One of the greatest rock stars of all time, famous for his impressive octave vocal range and theatrical style, he left his Kensington home to his former partner and longtime friend Mary Austin.
He considered Mary the love of his life although pursued romantic relationships with men.
His home, Garden Lodge, is a gorgeous Neo-Georgian mansion that served as the celebrity’s ‘country house in London’, and a sanctuary.
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It has been meticulously preserved for 30 years by Austin and acts as a time capsule of music history after his time at the home.
It is now up for sale for the first time since he bought it in 1980 and his tragic death from Aids in 1991, for $38m.
Born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, Mercury fled to England with his family in the wake of the Zanzibar Revolution, where people were massacred.
His family settled near London and he studied graphic art and design – which he’d use his talents to design the band’s logo. Mercury sold second-hand clothes with future Queen drummer Roger Taylor at Kensington Market.
His career took off in 1973 when he joined Taylor, guitarist Brian May, and Bassist John Deacon to create their self-titled album.
Mercury would go on to perform more than 700 shows with the group, to sold-out stadiums and incredible events such as Band Aid.
Despite his tragic death, where he only announced he had the disease the day before he died, his legacy has lived on. Queen’s Greatest Hits album became the best-selling of all time in the UK. Two of his songs, We Are The Champions and Bohemian Rhapsody were voted best songs of all time and he was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
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Thanks to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com we can take a look inside.
His home, Garden Lodge, has a two-story drawing room which once was home to Mercury’s grand piano where he composed Bohemian Rhapsody.
From the Japanese sitting room, french doors lead to the beautiful gardens, and each room is filled to the brim with his vibrant personality. Some of the design choices of Mercury remain, such as yellow walls in the dining room and floor-to-ceiling mirrors in the dressing room that housed his stage costumes.
Surrounded by stone walls offering privacy, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy the property that hasn’t been on the market for almost 50 years.
Austin said: “This house has been the most glorious memory box because it has such love and warmth in every room. Ever since Freddie and I stepped through the fabled green door, it has been a place of peace, a true artist’s house, and now is the time to entrust that sense of peace to the next person.”
The listing is held by Knight Frank. Photos of Garden Lodge courtesy Knight Frank.
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