A Magical Walk into Freddie Mercury’s Hidden Oasis: Garden Lodge and Its Beginnings
“We’re going for a walk,” Freddie Mercury had announced with a spark of excitement. The sun-drenched afternoon set the perfect scene as he led his companions on a short stroll—just twenty minutes through the quiet streets—until they arrived at a seemingly unremarkable gate nestled within a long, high brick wall. But what lay beyond that gate was anything but ordinary.
Freddie unlocked it, revealing what could only be described as a secret garden—a lush, secluded Eden that seemed to exist in a world of its own. Behind those walls stood Garden Lodge, located at 1 Logan Place, a stately Georgian mansion tucked away in Kensington, London. It wasn’t just a home; it was an expression of Freddie’s most personal vision.
He had purchased the house in the late 1970s from the Hoare banking family, a detail that gave rise to his cheeky nickname for the place—“The Hoare House.” The nickname was pure Freddie: irreverent, witty, and laced with his characteristic charm. But beneath the humor was deep intention. He didn’t simply move in—he transformed it. He gutted the interior, overseeing an extensive renovation and redecoration process, leaving no detail untouched. Every corner of Garden Lodge was molded to reflect his artistic taste, sensibilities, and the sanctuary he envisioned.
By the time of that sunny Sunday walk, the final builders and decorators were packing up their tools. After months of meticulous planning and execution, Garden Lodge was nearly complete—on the brink of becoming Freddie’s private haven. The house and its surrounding garden would go on to serve not just as his home, but as a retreat from fame, a place of music, friendship, love, and ultimately, his final refuge.
This intimate glimpse, recounted by Jim Hutton in Mercury and Me, offers a touching window into the quieter, more personal world of Freddie Mercury. It was a side of him few saw—far removed from the roaring crowds and the electric energy of the stage. In Garden Lodge, Freddie created a world entirely his own.