RICHARD EDEN: The £25m palace fit for a Queen… guitarist! Sir Brian May buys himself a sumptuous 76th birthday present
He rocked the world from the roof of Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee, reprising his performance for her Platinum Jubilee last summer when he sprang up in front of the Victoria Memorial to belt out We Will Rock You.
But now Brian May – more formally, Sir Brian May, since being knighted for services to music and charity earlier this year – has decided that it’s about time that he lived like a king.
I can reveal that the Queen guitarist, who celebrated his 76th birthday on Wednesday, has shelled out nearly £25million for a palace of his own – a sumptuous, three storeyed property, with five grand reception rooms, set in an estate of more than 200 Surrey acres.
Built in the 1920s in the William and Mary style, the mansion, which stands on the site of what was an 16th century farmhouse – erased to make way for a Regency replacement, which then made way for the current house – has been owned by a series of tycoons who had the money to indulge themselves in any way that took their fancy.
So, while its ten bedrooms may seem rather paltry when compared with Buckingham Palace’s 52 ‘royal’ bedrooms (supplemented by a further 188 for staff), May’s mansion has idiosyncratic treasures all of its own.
Brian May (pictured with his wife Anita Dobson) rocked the world from the roof of Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee, reprising his performance for her Platinum Jubilee last summer
Brian May has shelled out nearly £25million mansion (pictured)
The sumptuous, three storeyed property, features five grand reception rooms
It stands on the site of what was an 16th century farmhouse
The mansion was built in the 1920s in the William and Mary style of the early 1700s
It has been owned by a series of tycoons who had the money to indulge themselves in any way that took their fancy
No one can see into the house – thanks to extensive woods to the north of the house, while, to the south, the formal gardens are bordered first by extensive parkland
The East Wing – a comparatively new addition – houses an indoor swimming pool, studio, spa, sauna and gym
Mr May’s mansion is set in an estate of more than 200 Surrey acres
The gardens include parterres and topiary which perhaps owe more to Versailles than the residence of any British monarch
These include an Art Deco bathroom – one of ten bathrooms in total – which was rescued from a pre-war ocean liner before being restored and inserted into its new home.
The East Wing – a comparatively new addition – houses an indoor swimming pool, studio, spa, sauna and gym.
But it is outside that ‘King Brian’ and ‘Queen Anita’ – May’s second wife, former EastEnders star Anita Dobson – can really count their blessings.
Two years ago, the couple suffered the loss of carpets and childhood memorabilia when their house in Kensington, West London, was flooded by sewage, prompting May to warn: ‘London is in danger of drowning in its own effluent’.
But, at their new country seat, they will be assailed by only the sweetest scents – emerging from the nectarine house in the palatial gardens.
The gardens include parterres and topiary which perhaps owe more to Versailles than the residence of any British monarch.
There is even a viewing tower from which everything that can be seen forms part of the estate.
But no one can see in – thanks to extensive woods to the north of the house, while, to the south, the formal gardens are bordered first by extensive parkland, beyond which lie arable land and more woodland.
‘I lived in the village, but didn’t know that [May’s house] existed,’ one awed former local tells me when I point out its location.
Perhaps, in due course, Sir Brian will let admirers hear him. A rendition of We Are The Champions from the top of the viewing tower should do the trick.