Queen In London - Part I: Freddie

Queen in London - Part I: Freddie

A brief timeline of the band members' living arrangements, focused on London/England. I put this together from a variety of sometimes contradictory sources - if anyone has additional or differing information, please let me know!

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When the Bulsaras arrive in England in the spring of 1964, they settle down in Feltham. In November 1964, they move into 22 Gladstone Avenue x x

While Freddie officially continues to live in Feltham for the next 5 years, he often stays with friends who live in London. One important address is 49 Addison Gardens, Kensington, where Chris Smith and Paul Humbertone share a basement flat (QonC, 31). Roger's flatshare at 15 Sinclair Gardens is just a street away, and they form one big circle of friends, often hanging out with each other.

Freddie with Paul Humberton at the back garden of 42B Addison Gardens.

"When we all got together [...] Brian would stay at Roger's, while Tim and Freddie would stay with me." (Chris Smith, QonC 31)

In October 1969, Freddie moves into a flatshare at 40 Ferry Road, Barnes, with Roger and others (Denise Craddock, QiC). The cast of flatmates fluctuates a lot, but for a while Brian lives there as well.

View of 40 Ferry Road and a floor plan with occupants; QiC

After about a year at Ferry Road, Freddie moves into a flatshare in Fulham with Roger, Jo, John Harris and others in the autumn of 1970 (Pat McConnell, QiC). According to Pat, "Freddie was [in the Fulham flatshare] for a while but went to live with Mary."

Probably in early 1971, Freddie and Mary move into £10-a-week bedsit x. The article states the address as Victoria Road, Kensington, but Victoria Road is a lot further north, in Acton. It might be a mix-up with Victoria Grove, Kensington.

The dating is a bit of an educated guess: according to the article, Freddie first asked Mary out on his 24th birthday - September 1970. In this article, Mary is quoted saying that that they moved in together about five months after their first date.

"After two years together" - probably Autumn 1972 - Freddie and Mary move just about a mile into a slightly more expensive one-bedroom apartment at 100 Holland Road x They live there with two cats x, Tom and Jerry.

100 Holland Road; the "dress-up"-photoshoot with Doug Puddifoot took place there in March 1973.

In Spring 1976, Freddie is still living in the Holland Road flat with Mary, but has been house-hunting for a while - in vain, so far x

In mid-1976, Freddie rents a flat in Dovehouse street, Chelsea, for himself and David Minns, who calls it "a hellhole" (WtMS, 31; TWTRL).

In October 1976, Freddie talks about "the new place he's got in Kensington" x - probably the first mention of 12 Stafford Terrace.

In Spring 1977, Freddie is busy furnishing his new flat at Stafford Terrace (WtMS, 31), while still living at Holland Road x (the article refers to his lush flat 'upstairs').

It's not entirely clear when Freddie finally moves into Stafford Terrace, but it seems to have been sometime in late 1977 or even early 1978: According to David Minns, Freddie moved into Stafford Terrace with Joe after he came back from a "long, arduous tour" x (the US leg of the 1977 NOTW-tour), and he still calls it a "new flat" at this point (TWTRL).

"Freddie’s home was the lower part of a house conversion. The hallway and dining room were on ground level and the kitchen on the mezzanine. In the basement were the bedrooms – Freddie’s facing the street and Joe Fannelli’s at the rear – and a large sitting room looking out on to a small, patioed garden." (M&M)

Freddie at Stafford Terrace.

In the first half of the 1980s, Freddie spends significant amounts of time in New York and Munich, but 12 Stafford Terrace is his home whenever he is in London for the next 7 years.

In 1980, he buys a new property, Garden Lodge, 1 Logan Mews, in Kensington (FM, Ch. 4). It's a two-story, Neo-Georgian mansion surrounded by high walls and a landscaped garden x

Freddie spends five years completely refurbishing the place. The process is finished in July/August 1985, while he was still mainly living in Munich. In the autumn of 1985, Freddie permanently moves into Garden Lodge with Jim (M&M). They're going to live there along with Phoebe, Joe, and an assortment of cats until Freddie's death in 1991.

Aerial view of Garden Lodge; Freddie in his garden.

Sources

FM - Peter Freestone & David Evans: Freddie Mercury.

M&M - Jim Hutton & Tim Wapshott: Mercury and Me.

QiC - Rupert White: Queen in Cornwall.

QonC - Mark Hayward: Queen on Camera, off Guard

TWTRL - David Evans & David Minns. This Was The Real Life

WtMS - David Evans. When the Music Stops