LONDON — LONDON (AP) — Freddie Mercury ’s sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century — minus his “exquisite clutter.”
Garden Lodge, as the neo-Georgian brick home in the posh Kensington neighborhood is known, is for sale by Knight Frank for offers exceeding 30 million pounds ($38 million). It is not publicly listed.
Mercury, the frontman for Queen, bought the house in 1980 — the year the band’s album “The Game,” with hits “Another One Bites the Dust” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” topped the charts. He reportedly paid cash for the property, which was listed for more than 500,000 pounds, according to “Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury.”
“I saw the house, fell in love with it, and within a half an hour it was mine,” Mercury boasted, according to the book.
Mercury had extensive renovations done to the house and loaded it with precious artwork, including pieces by Picasso, Dalí and Matisse.
“I like to be surrounded by splendid things,” Mercury said. “I want to lead the Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter.”
Mercury died in the house in 1991 of AIDS-related pneumonia at 45.
He left the eight-bedroom villa and all his possessions to his close friend and ex-girlfriend, Mary Austin, who lived there. She has been raking in millions selling his collection of stage costumes, fine art and song lyrics over the past year. The home was put up for sale late last month.
“This house has been the most glorious memory box, because it has such love and warmth in every room,” Austin said in a statement. “It has been a joy to live in and I have many wonderful memories here. Now that it is empty, I’m transported back to the first time we viewed it. 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 famous gate to the garden, which was inscribed with graffiti and love notes from fans, was one of 59 of Mercury’s most prized possessions that sold for 12.2 million pounds ($15.4 million) in September. The door brought in 412,750 pounds ($521,000), including a buyer’s premium.