Over the gate...

Designed in 1913 by Victorian/Edwardian/other architect Theophilus A Allen; John Lennon's house between 1964 and 1968; sunroom, attic and prisco stripe hibernice; Mellotron and caravan; Babidji and Mimi; mortar and pestle; Wubbleyoo Dubbleyoo; curios and curiosity; remnants and residue; testimonials and traces; (Cavendish Avenue, Sunny Heights and Kinfauns); Montagu Square; mock Tudor: Brown House: *KENWOOD*.

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Sunday 14 June 2009

Julian's Room: June, 1967.






4 variations on a theme...the "cuddly" toys aren't, particularly. The first floor during John's time comprised the master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk in clothes room, a study, Julian's room (plus, probably, a playroom/nursery) and at least one guest bedroom - known as the "blue room", for obvious reasons. This was the room occupied by Pete Shotton during his lengthy stays at Kenwood. Pete house-sat whilst John and Cynthia were in India in 1968. The bit of Kenwood overlooking the swimming pool remains a mystery...UPDATE - it's the garage. See later drivel for explicatory pap.

9 comments:

  1. huh? i thought julian´s room was the one with the colourful painting on the ceiling? or was that his playroom?
    maybe this is the blue room and the flowers are blue...

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  2. Assuming that is the same room, I don't think the ceiling painting was there during the John-era...or rather, it was there, but buried under wallpaper etc. The people renovating the house revealed that painting when they stripped everything off the walls. I think it pre-dates John's time at Kenwood. But again, that is a guess. However, that paint job is very distinctive - and I've never seen it mentioned in any description of the John-era house. The presence of the panda etc suggests that is Julian's room - and finally, there is a colour version of this pic elsewhere on the blog, and it isn't blue. But we need someone who was actually there to clear these things up...

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  3. Has John removed his glasses or that last pic? Maybe he was still getting used to them.
    This doesn't look like a kiddie's room does it? Were the stuffed toys gifts from Beatle tours?

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  4. Yes, he's got his glasses off in the last pic. Why? Who Knows? These photos were part of a long session at Kenwood involving several changes of clothes - so maybe just an attempt to provide a slightly different shot. You're right, it doesn't look like a typical children's room. Interestingly, the lamp was sold at auction, and the accompanying picture calls it "a bedroom" and not "Julian's bedroom"...so maybe this was just another guest room after all. It's impossible to know without speaking to someone who knew the place. I have no idea if the toys were gifts or were bought, but the panda dates from Emperor's Gate - see previous post.

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  5. Actually the best person to ask all these questions would be Cyn, don`t you think? No, I don`t have her email and have no idea if she corresponds with fans, but it might be worth a try...

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  6. I have a piece of wallpaper from the Lennon bedroom very similar in pattern to Julian's room. I grabbed it as they were replacing the sheet rock.For sure it's from the Lennon period, that I do know.

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  7. lol this is all getting rather confusing. Do you mean the "master" bedroom? There is a post with a picture of that from the end of 1968 - http://kenwoodlennon.blogspot.com/2009/05/master-bedroom-1968-2006.html
    A tabloid journalist got in posing as a buyer and took some photos of the house. The pattern on the bed looks similar, though not the same as the wallpaper in "Julian's" room. It's possible (and even likely) some rooms had similar decor, of course. It's also possible the decor in the master bedroom, which looks fairly drab in the picture, had been changed. None of which gets us any closer to conclusively identifying "Julian's" room as Julian's room, or a guest bedroom. Hmmmm. btw Joe, is that bit of wallpaper scannable? I'd love to see it, if so!

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  8. I'm off to London in a few days (Going inside Studio 2 on Wed) and will scan it upon my return so we can compare. It is definately from the Lennon era as it was behind the current walls.

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  9. Great! Have fun in London. I spent an evening in Abbey Road last year. Studio 2 still has those pianos that the Beatles are seen playing in many photos. Amazing place. Pity I'm not in London at the moment - we could have gone for a pint. Ah well, maybe next time...

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