{"id":33947,"date":"2019-11-24T18:24:45","date_gmt":"2019-11-24T18:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=33947"},"modified":"2019-11-24T18:24:45","modified_gmt":"2019-11-24T18:24:45","slug":"five-london-locations-important-to-freddie-mercury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/five-london-locations-important-to-freddie-mercury\/","title":{"rendered":"Five London locations important to Freddie Mercury"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Lover of life and singer of songs, as described by Freddie Mercury&#8217;s former bandmate Brian May. 24th November marks the 28th anniversary of Freddie Mercury\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p>Whilst he was alive, the musical legend certainly left his mark on a city which he would come to call home. A Zanzibari driven from his home in 1964, Mercury moved to London with his family where his lasting legacy began.<\/p>\n<p>So, here are<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=1L3f_ZKJZ9hLyh_deg-ByGlZe-A5oo2Kd&amp;hl=en\"> five London locations<\/a> which were of importance to Freddie Mercury.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Five London Locations Important to Freddie Mercury.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qTUzKwqB5-s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. London Heathrow Airport &#8211; Terminal 3:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-33938\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/Photo-1-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"4032\" height=\"3024\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Unbeknown to many people, Freddie Mercury had worked at Terminal 3 of London Heathrow Airport, a fact which was reflected in the film Bohemian Rhapsody.<\/p>\n<p>The terminal building had been renovated in 1969, a year before Mercury became an employee at the airport.<\/p>\n<p>Remnants of the original terminal building still exist and are accessible on the London Underground\u2019s Piccadilly Line.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Kensington Market:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-33937\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/Photo-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"4032\" height=\"3024\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It seems that tangible sites of pilgrimage for hardcore Queen fans are reducing, with the demolition Kensington Market taking place in 2001.<\/p>\n<p>49\/53 Kensington High Street was once the centre of bohemian and alternative clothing and culture. Freddie Mercury and fellow band member Roger Taylor ran stalls at the market prior to their success with Queen.<\/p>\n<p>The site now accommodates a Currys PC World, the surrounding area remains relatively unchanged.<\/p>\n<p>The former site of Kensington Market is a short walk from High Street Kensington Station.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. 22 Stafford Terrace:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-33936\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/Photo-3-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"4032\" height=\"3024\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Following the success of hits such as \u201cSeven Seas of Rhye\u201d and \u201cKiller Queen\u201d Mercury\u2019s fortune was rising due to the success of his band.<\/p>\n<p>Mercury moved to Stafford Terrace, Kensington in the 1970s. Mercury lived at this home during the production of albums such as \u201cA Night At The Opera\u201d and \u201cNews of the World\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The house can be distinguished from neighbouring houses with its grey front door and Mercury burglar alarm (some irony there one would imagine).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Trident Sound Studios, Soho:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-33935\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/Photo-4-1-e1574615363997.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3024\" height=\"4032\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Once the former red-light district of London, parts of Soho was once the thriving heart of the British music and film industry.<\/p>\n<p>Artists such as David Bowie and Hunk Dory have recorded here, with Queen recording their first three albums: Queen I, Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack at Trident Sound Studios.<\/p>\n<p>Recording for music still takes place within the building, however the surrounding area which was once known to locals as \u201cSeedy Soho\u201d has become much less associated with debauchery and more known for its cafes, restaurants and theatres.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Garden Lodge, Kensington:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-33934\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/Photo-5-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"4032\" height=\"3024\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This Georgian-style manor house is a site of pilgrimage for many fans, and no wonder, the boundary of Garden Lodge had become an informal memorial for the late singer.<\/p>\n<p>Mercury\u2019s former partner Mary Austen now resides in the house where the late singer passed away in November 1991 due to an AIDS related illness.<\/p>\n<p>Even 28 years on, fans and well-wishers can be found congregating outside the property, posting letters, memories and other notes onto the perimeter wall which has become synonymous with fans all over the world.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-33943\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/IMG_0286-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"4032\" height=\"3024\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Garden Lodge is situated close to Earl\u2019s Court Station in Kensington.<\/p>\n<p>Here is the response of <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/zubair-kazi-267186714\/liza-konstantinova-on-freddie-mercury\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Liza Konstantinova<\/a> on Freddie Mercury&#8217;s mansion and it&#8217;s current occupant.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Words: Zubair Karmalkar<\/p>\n<p>Photo: Zubair Karmalkar<\/p>\n<p>Video: Zubair Karmalkar<\/p>\n<p>Audio: Zubair Karmalkar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lover of life and singer of songs, as described by Freddie Mercury&#8217;s former bandmate Brian May. 24th November marks the 28th anniversary of Freddie Mercury\u2019s death. Whilst he was alive, the musical legend certainly left&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":476,"featured_media":33954,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","category-lifestyle"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/476"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}