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    Freddie Mercury’s Former London Mansion Can Be Yours for $38 Million

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    No, this isn’t just fantasy. The real-life home of late music legend Freddie Mercury has hit the market.  

    Garden Lodge, located in London’s exclusive Kensington enclave, is just listed for £30 million (US$38 million). The former Queen frontman, who died in 1991 at age 45 of bronchial pneumonia, left the Neo-Georgian-style estate and all of its contents to his friend and former fiancée, Mary Austin. In the roughly 30 years since Austin has been living at and looking after the property full-time, but is now ready to part ways with the hallowed home. 

    “This house has been the most glorious memory box, because it has such love and warmth in every room,” Austin said in a press 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.”

    The late Freddie Mercury helped create the garden at his home in London.

    Knight Frank

    The stately brick residence was originally built in 1907 by architect Ernest Marshall for artist couple Cecil Rea and Constance Halford and was at one time owned by Peter Wilson, a former chairman of Sotheby’s. According to Knight Frank, which is handling the sale, the Mercury bought the place on the spot in 1980 and later tapped interior architect and designer Robin Moore Ede to renovate the palatial pad.

    Internally, the residence sports the finest marble accents, rich wood floors, and tons of bright jewel tones. Most notably, the walls of the dining room are painted a citrusy yellow—the singer’s favorite hue. Other highlights include the double-height drawing room, where Mercury stored the grand piano that he famously used to compose Bohemian Rhapsody. The British singer also helped design the garden, which is dotted with large magnolia trees and sculpted plantings.

    “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.”

    Many of the walls in Garden Lodge have been painted using bold and bright hues.

    Knight Frank

    “The sale of Garden Lodge presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a significant property combined with a piece of cultural history, the beloved home of an icon,” added Paddy Dring, global head of prime sales and joint head of Knight Frank’s Private Office. “Having been carefully preserved with love and respect over the last three decades, we expect that the exceptional provenance of the property will be incredibly alluring to buyers across the world.” 

    Last year, Austin sold off a treasure trove of the star’s possessions during a Sotheby’s auction. At the time, Mercury’s belongings ignited a bidding frenzy, so prospective buyers might want to move quickly.

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…

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      in Luxury

      ‘Dallas’ in Oregon? Patrick Duffy’s Riverfront Ranch Is Headed to Auction

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      Last year, Patrick Duffy’s longtime Oregon ranch hit the open market for $14 million. Even though the price was later reduced to $11 million, the picturesque property never found a buyer, so the Dallas star is now auctioning off the compound to the highest bidder.

      Spanning about 330 acres, the so-called Duffy Ranch is located outside of Medford in the city of Eagle Point and will go under the hammer from December 7th until the 14th in a no-reserve auction. According to Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions, who will be handling the sale, starting bids are expected to be in the $3 million to $5 million range.

      An Oregon ranch owned for more than 30 years by actor Patrick Duffy is headed to auction.

      Provided by Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions

      The TV legend, who starred alongside pop culture icon Suzanne Somers in the family sitcom Step by Step, has owned the Staley Road residence for over 30 years. Duffy and his late wife, Carlyn Rosse, bought the home in 1990 for $1.5 million. “It was pristine,” he told Mansion Global. “There was no paved road. There were some trails through the woods and about a mile—a little less than a mile—of river frontage.”

      The property has multiple homes, cabins, and outbuildings across its 329 acres.

      Provided by Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions

      Together, they spent $3 million and the better part of two decades buying up surrounding properties to expand their compound and began living there full time in the early 2000s. Today, the ranch is made up of nine separate parcels, which include two homes, two guest cabins, a recreation pond, and two miles of Rogue River frontage. “The river is the only reason that we considered buying this property,” Duffy said in a video posted to the Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions website, which you can check out below.

      [embedded content]

      The main house dates back to the 1950s and resembles a traditional lodge—there’s a screened porch and everything. The home sits on a whopping 79 acres of land with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and roughly 3,000 square feet of living space. Plus, you’ll find a wood-burning fireplace, hardwood floors, and wood beam ceilings inside. What’s surprising is that it also includes an art gallery, in addition to a wine cave and a spa cabin. Elsewhere, the couple also converted one of the outbuildings into an indoor lap pool.

      In 2022, Duffy told Mansion Global that he’d like to relocate to California or Colorado. Currently, his sourdough starter business, Duffy’s Dough, is based in the Centennial State.

      Click here to see all the photos of Patrick Duff’s ranch.  

      Provided by Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions More

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      in Luxury

      Susie Hilfiger’s Historic Connecticut Estate Just Listed for a Cool $18 Million

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      Before fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and Susie Hilfiger, his wife of 20 years, called it quits, they shared a country house in Greenwich, Conn. Now, she’s hoisted the historic estate that the estranged couple bought in the ‘90s onto the market.  

      Originally built in 1775, the sprawling 17-acre property dubbed Denbigh Farm is asking just shy of $18 million—which is actually a steal considering what it was listed for just a few years prior. When the Hilfigers purchased the abode, it was owned by the late Joseph Verner Reed Jr.—a former U.S. ambassador to Morocco. At the time, the manor was thought of as a place where their family could seek refuge and maintain a low profile. Although, in speaking with Architectural Digest, Susie admitted that they “instantly fell in love with it.” 

      Susie Hilfiger’s Connecticut compound, also known as Denbigh Farm, just listed for $17.9 million

      Samuel Rodriguez & Steve Rossi for Sotheby’s International Realty

      The home has seen several renovations throughout its lifetime, one at the hands of New York-based firm Albro & Lindeberg in the early 20th century and another by architect Allan Greenberg that was completed in the early 2000s shortly after the couple moved in. “The house deserved sensitivity and attention to detail,” Susie explains to AD. “It had amazing bones and an even better spirit. We redid everything: the roof, the plumbing, all the infrastructure.”  

      Today, the spread comprises a main shingle-roofed residence, along with a detached guest cottage, and two additional apartments located above the garage. Equestrian enthusiasts will enjoy a horse stable with six stalls, multiple paddocks, and a riding arena. The grounds also sport a carriage house, chicken coops, an apple orchard, a tennis court, and a swimming pool. Though, a children’s playhouse modeled after George Washington’s Mount Vernon is one of the more peculiar perks.  

      Susie renovated the 18th-century estate alongside her ex-husband and fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger,

      Samuel Rodriguez & Steve Rossi for Sotheby’s International Realty

      For the Sister Parish–inspired interiors of the main house, Susie tapped London’s Colefax and Fowler to tackle the design. All of the living spaces, in addition to the seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms, are decked out with colorful textiles, hand-painted wallpaper, and antiques that the Hilfigers have collected—including pieces that once belonged to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor that were acquired at auction in 1997. “We bought carpets, a pair of eagle-shaped consoles, and the famous blue sofa she kept at the end of her bed where she would keep her pug dolls,” Susie tells the magazine. “We even bought her green Venetian secretary where she conducted all her household business.” 

      While we imagine it’ll be hard to part ways with the dwelling that she’s owned for close to three decades, Susie revealed to the publication that she plans on moving to the West Coast to be closer to her kids. “I loved raising my children at Denbigh Farm, but now I’ve started a new chapter.” 

      Janet Milligan of Sotheby’s International Realty holds the listing.

      Click here to see all the photos of Denbigh Farm.

      Samuel Rodriguez & Steve Rossi for Sotheby’s International Realty More

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      in Commercial

      BidX1 defies the ‘Beast from the East’ to sell €36m worth of properties

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      The power of BidX1’s Online Auction platform was demonstrated recently as Ireland’s largest auction house sold over €36m worth of property while the country came to a standstill due to the extreme weather conditions caused by the ‘Beast from the East’ and Storm Emma. The auctions took place on Wednesday February 28th and Thursday March […] More

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      in Commercial

      BidX1 to sell 350 lots across three days later this month

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      BidX1 have announced details of their upcoming February auction, offering over 350 properties across three days in what will be their largest online auction to date. Last month, the pioneering online auction house announced the acquisition of leading UK property auctioneers, Andrews & Robertson, in a move that makes BidX1 the second largest auction house […] More