Homes gossip: Madonna; Boyzone singer Shane Lynch; John Lithgow; Sir Giles Gilbert Scott Building

Madonna lowers the price of her Beverly Hills mansion

Madonna is so keen to sell her Beverly Hills home she has dropped the asking price by more than £3 million.

The Hung Up singer originally put the nine-bedroom French country-style mansion, which comes with two separate guesthouses, on the market in March last year for £17 million.

But despite the recent asking-price drop, the savvy superstar should still make a hefty profit. When she bought the house with ex-husband Guy Ritchie in 2003 they paid £7 million.

These days the mother of four, 54, divides her time between an Upper East Side townhouse in New York and a Hyde Park hotspot.

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Petrolheads will rally to Boyzone singer's home

A former home of singer-cum-actor Shane Lynch is on the market. The Boyzone star, who recently made a Channel 5 documentary on his battle with dyslexia called My Secret Past, has long been keen on motor racing and built a course in the 11 acres around the Surrey farmhouse.

In their heyday, band members including Ronan Keating would visit the estate to make the most of its adrenaline-pumping facilities. But the current owners went for a more tranquil approach, adding a golf course.

Boys’ toys aside, there are four bedrooms, plus a summerhouse that would make an ideal office. Listed at £1.15 million with Hamptons International, see the Redhill escape at homesandproperty.co.uk/redhill.

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Shrek star relives his student days

Distinguished American actor John Lithgow has received rave reviews for his performance in Pinero’s farce, The Magistrate, which is in rep at the National Theatre.

The 67-year-old, whose hit roles in sitcoms such as 3rd Rock from the Sun and blockbuster Shrek earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is making the most of his time in London.

He is renting an apartment just off Gloucester Road, near his old stomping ground when he studied at LAMDA in the late Sixties. On his days off he visits friends who live nearby and even bumped into playwright Alan Bennett round the corner.

But in common with many Londoners, he gets frustrated with his commute, avoiding the Circle line at all costs at the weekend.

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Sir Giles's other brick masterpiece

If you missed out on one of the 800 apartments at Battersea Power Station, which sold in a record four days last week, there is a chance to invest in another of architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s buildings.

Though best remembered for the power station, the largest brick building in Europe, and for Waterloo Bridge, a flat in one of his less-celebrated brick gems is for sale.

The Sir Giles Gilbert Scott Building in Putney, designed by him in 1928, opened as Whitelands College teacher training facility in 1931.

It was converted into flats in 2005 and a two-bedroom ground-floor flat in the block is for sale at £750,000. There are lots of period fittings and a gym and library on site, and you’ll get views over an impressive courtyard. For details, visit homesandproperty.co.uk/gilbertscott.

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