English Heritage has celebrated Freddie Mercury with a blue plaque at his first London home.
The plaque was bestowed upon Freddie’s first home in Feltham, West London, bought by his parents after they left Zanzibar for the UK.
The singer and songwriter was still living at the property when he first met his future Queen band-mates Brian May and Roger Taylor.
Freddie Mercury’s sister, Kashmira Cooke, unveiled the English Heritage Blue Plaque and said: ‘Mum and I are so proud and pleased that English Heritage is honouring our Freddie with a Blue Plaque, and that he will be amongst other famous names for ever. Secretly he would have been very proud and pleased too.’
While living at the address, Freddie took an A-level in art at Isleworth Polytechnic followed by a Diploma in Graphic Art and Design at Ealing College of Art, supporting himself with a variety of jobs, including washing dishes in the kitchens at nearby Heathrow Airport. It was while studying at Ealing that Freddie met future Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor.
Dr Brian May said: ‘It is a pleasant duty to help install this little reminder on Freddie’s parents’ house in Feltham. It was here that I first visited Freddie soon after we had met through a mutual friend. We spent most of the day appreciating and analysing in intimate detail the way that Jimi Hendrix had put his recordings together in the studio - listening to Hendrix on vinyl played on Freddie's Dansette record player - which had stereo speakers on opposite sides of the box! Feltham was the childhood neighbourhood for both of us but we never knew it until we met in the cause of music.’
Other musicians to be honoured with English Heritage Blue Plaques include Freddie’s idol, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The plaque was bestowed upon Freddie’s first home in Feltham, West London, bought by his parents after they left Zanzibar for the UK.
The singer and songwriter was still living at the property when he first met his future Queen band-mates Brian May and Roger Taylor.
Freddie Mercury’s sister, Kashmira Cooke, unveiled the English Heritage Blue Plaque and said: ‘Mum and I are so proud and pleased that English Heritage is honouring our Freddie with a Blue Plaque, and that he will be amongst other famous names for ever. Secretly he would have been very proud and pleased too.’
While living at the address, Freddie took an A-level in art at Isleworth Polytechnic followed by a Diploma in Graphic Art and Design at Ealing College of Art, supporting himself with a variety of jobs, including washing dishes in the kitchens at nearby Heathrow Airport. It was while studying at Ealing that Freddie met future Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor.
Dr Brian May said: ‘It is a pleasant duty to help install this little reminder on Freddie’s parents’ house in Feltham. It was here that I first visited Freddie soon after we had met through a mutual friend. We spent most of the day appreciating and analysing in intimate detail the way that Jimi Hendrix had put his recordings together in the studio - listening to Hendrix on vinyl played on Freddie's Dansette record player - which had stereo speakers on opposite sides of the box! Feltham was the childhood neighbourhood for both of us but we never knew it until we met in the cause of music.’
Other musicians to be honoured with English Heritage Blue Plaques include Freddie’s idol, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
