Inside A Historic Estate Complete With Freddie Mercury’s Koi Carp

Want to break free of London life? If you’re on the hunt for a countryside bolthole, Bluey’s Farmhouse in Buckinghamshire comes with its very own Koi Carp with a special claim to fame. 

Discover Blueys Farmhouse: Home To Freddie Mercury’s Koi Carp

Built in 1657 (and then known as Finnamore Manor), the Grade II listed Blueys Farmhouse boasts a range of architectural styles from across the centuries, from its light oak beams to the Jacobean-style panelled reception halls. Now rechristened, the Bluey namesake is former owner Bluey Mavroleon – a party-loving Greek shipping owner who ran the estate as a stud farm alongside Spectator columnist Taki Theodoracopulos, frequently holding game shoots on the grounds. 

Surrounded by grazing and arable land as well as woodland and valleys, Blueys is set within nearly 116 acres of land. The brick period farmhouse houses seven bedrooms as well as its two bedroom cottage next door, an outdoor swimming pool, games room, water feature, formal gardens, ornamental ponds, a sunken tennis court with a viewing gallery, stables and a training manege.

Arranged over two floors with three sets of stairs, the historic property also includes a more recently built wing comprising of a large reception area with a spiral cellar, study and bedrooms above. Opening onto formal gardens via French doors, all the reception rooms on the ground floors have access to the outdoor York stone terrace.

The Legend Of Freddie Mercury’s Koi Carp

Swimming pools, tennis courts and fountains aside, the most intriguing boast of this property is the ornamental pond, which is home to a collection of koi carp once owned by Queen front man Freddie Mercury.

Having been purchased by a previous owner of the estate, Mercury’s koi carp are embroiled in legend. The star was a passionate koi carp enthusiast who amassed a collection of 89 prized koi in the Japanese garden of his former Kensington home Garden Lodge. After his death in 1991, his heir and former partner Mary Austin inherited the collection and cared for it as per his wishes.

In 2002, or so the rumour goes, the koi tragically died after being moved to a temporary container with no electricity to power the filtration system. While it’s unclear if some of the koi (or their ancestors) survived, or if this collection had been gifted prior to Mercury’s death (evading the tragic fate of their peers), there is certainly a connection to the Queen star, however loose. With koi known to live between 25 to 50 years, they may well be the very same Mercury once cared for.

Where Is It?

Located in an area of outstanding natural beauty and in close proximity to London, Blueys Farmhouse is nestled in a private valley in the Chilterns. Only a stone’s throw from Marlow and seven miles from Henley-on-Thames, the nearby towns offer train stations with routes to London Paddington. 

Where Did Freddie Mercury Live?

Born in Zanzibar, Queen star Freddie Mercury attended British boarding schools in India before returning home after secondary school. Fleeing the Zanzibar revolution, his parents relocated to Middlesex in England, where their home at 22 Gladstone Avenue in Feltham is now commemorated with a blue plaque.

In 1969 – a year before the formation of Queen – Mercury moved into 42b Addison Gardens in Kensington while studying at Ealing College’s fine arts schools. After meeting his partner Mary Austin, the pair moved into a flat at 100 Holland Road, Kensington where they lived until their separation in 1976.

Mercury then moved into a penthouse at 12 Stafford Terrace in Holland Park before relocating to his last home at Garden Lodge, a majestic Victorian residence where he lived until his death.

Blueys Farmhouse is on the market with Savills for £8,500,000. Find out more at savills.com