Legendary Queen guitarist Brian May is rumoured to be eyeing up a sumptuous country estate on the outskirts of Canterbury.
Colourful businessman Peter Malkin has put Bridge Place Manor on the market for £2,360,000 – slashing the asking price by hundreds of thousands since it was last for sale.
May, worth in excess of £80million, has been seen in the village in recent weeks, according to unconfirmed reports.
Brian May is said to be eyeing up a country estate near Canterbury
Mr Malkin has told the KM Group that a mystery celebrity – known the world over – has viewed the historic property and is expressing “keen interest”.
But he refuses to be drawn on the star’s identity, saying only that a singer and guitarist who is “a household name” has viewed his home.
“We’ve had a lot of interest from buyers looking for a fantastic family home,” said the 76-year-old. “There are a couple of musicians among them.
“Two parties are expressing keen interest and one of those is a very big name – international – in the entertainment industry.
“He was delighted. He loved the woodwork, the mirrors, the suits of armour.”
Peter Malkin has Bridge Place Manor on the market for £2,360,000
Bridge Place Manor has a rich musical heritage and has hosted a variety of stars including Robert Plant and Eric Clapton, says Mr Malkin.
He has owned the Grade II-listed 17th century manor for almost 50 years. It is sat within five acres of unspoiled Kentish countryside and boasts eight bedrooms and landscaped gardens fronting a river.
May, 67, achieved global stardom as guitarist with rock band Queen alongside frontman Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991.
Queen enjoyed phenomenal success with hits including Bohemian Rhapsody, I Want to Break Free and We Will Rock You, and May’s wealth is said to derive from royalties.
An animal rights campaigner as well as an astrophysicist, he is known to have links with the Canterbury area, having supported the Lord Whisky Animal Sanctuary in Stelling Minnis.
The historic house has hosted stars including Eric Clapton and Robert Plant
He is married to second wife Anita Dobson, who achieved fame playing Queen Vic landlady Angie Watts in BBC1 soap opera EastEnders.
If May snaps up Bridge Place Manor, the house will add to his portfolio of properties which includes an £11million home in London’s Kensington.
In 1993 Mr Malkin hit the headlines when he used the property to hide his young son from the authorities during a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife.
Having snatched the youngster in France and brought him back to Kent, Mr Malkin was jailed for eight months for contempt of court.
Mr Malkin said: “I love the place and it holds only good memories. I’m a passionate man and what’s in the past is in the past.
Bridge Place is sat in unspoilt Kentish countryside
“It’s time to downsize now. We’ve done a gigantic amount of work here. I’m a perfectionist.
“We had it on the market before for over £3,000,000. I think at that time we hadn’t done enough work.
“I’m confident it will sell now.”
A former jazz club manager, Mr Malkin says he has “earned excellent money” over the years, as well as “coming from money”.
He has always worked and says he is not planning to retire.
The Queen star is reported to be worth more than £80m
“I wasn’t terribly good at school – I liked history, but that was it really,” he said. “I did a number of jobs. I was a hod carrier. I worked on a farm. In fact they sacked me because my side of the haystack fell down.
“I also worked on a chicken farm but they sacked me too. I refused to strangle the chickens.”
Mr Malkin found his way into the music industry, running clubs across the county. He also began channelling his money into restoring historic buildings.
Bridge Place has been a labour of love, he says, and has a rich musical pedigree.
“We’ve had the Moody Blues, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, Manfred Mann – they’ve all been here,” he said.
The Grade II-listed house dates back to 17th century
He is now ready for new owners to take on the property.
“I’m not planning to retire. I’ll stay living locally and will probably take on a pub, maybe more than one, in the locality,” he said.
Once a month the property is used for Bridge Country Club social events, with bands and DJs performing.
Mr Malkin says the events will continue until the house is sold.