Queen guitarist Brian May and his wife Anita Dobson swapped their London home for a lavish Surrey estate after it flooded with sewage
Anita Dobson, wife of legendary Queen guitarist Brian May, had a poignant moment of realisation after the couple were compelled to abandon London for a quieter life in the countryside. The pair traded their £7million Kensington residence for a sprawling £25million estate in Surrey last year.
Their opulent new home is nestled within an expansive 200-acre estate in the heart of Windlesham. Anita has previously confessed that Brian has “never been happier” since they swapped the hustle and bustle of the capital for the tranquillity of the countryside.
Their current abode, originally constructed in the 1920s, stands on the site of a 16th-century farmhouse which was demolished to make way for the Regency-style dwelling they now call home.
The decision to relocate came after their previous home was inundated with sewage in 2021. The unfortunate incident left the couple distraught and resulted in the loss of memorabilia stored by Brian.
However, according to Anita, her husband “fell in love” with their new surroundings even before he laid eyes on the property. She revealed that he was particularly smitten with “the trees, the flowers, the grass, the lake”, reports the Express.
“How could I take him away from that?” she pondered during an interview with The Sunday Telegraph. However, the move from London to the countryside brought with it a bittersweet realisation.
Anita, aged 76, reflected: “I remember thinking, ‘I’m buying my own retirement home,’ because it’s quiet. I do miss London. I miss the lights, the noise, even the dirt – I was born in that dirt. But I know what I’m facing ahead of me.”
Brian, 78, has occasionally offered glimpses of their home on Instagram. The property is said to boast an observatory which allows Brian to indulge his passion for the stars.
Whilst the east wing is said to house an indoor swimming pool, studio, spa, sauna and gym. Last year Anita admitted that her husband is a “hoarder” and has a huge range of Star Wars memorabilia.
She says he insists on buying two of everything as well – one for himself and one for his grandchildren, explaining: “He’s a big collector. He buys a packaged one and one that he can have for the grandkids.
“He’s bought quite a lot. It’s eased off a bit, as he’s gone through life. His favourite is the little green guy, he loves Yoda.”
Anita revealed Brian also enjoys collecting dinosaurs and figures of prehistoric creatures “like most kids do.”
EastEnders star Anita says she has previously attempted clearing out some of their possessions but regularly fails, because she also has “semi-hoarding tendencies”.
She told Music News: “I always think I’ve got to have a clear out, and a lot of my clothes go to the local hospice. But there’s so much stuff.
“The way I look at it, my husband is a hoarder and I’m a semi-hoarder. I try to lessen the accumulation of stuff that comes in. My husband is really clever so any little things that come in that you think are useless he will go, ‘No, no, don’t get rid of that because it might come in useful.’
“And it does,” she added. “Something he is fixing, or something he has decided to add, and there it is, he’s got it in his DIY box.”
Source: Mirror
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