As we've seen, from behind the house looks much the same as when Ringo lived there. The grounds have been significantly altered, however, with part sold off to provide land for another mansion.
The swimming pool is also new; it's situated on roughly the same spot as this very much tached-up photo:
Inside, the house has inevitably undergone a lot of renovation. But, fairly astonishingly, the none-more-psychedelic painting evident in a couple of Ringo-at-home shots from 1967 is still there:
From this angle, it's evident that it was painted straight onto the wall:
That subsequent owners have chosen to preserve this painting beggars belief, given the general attitude of Sic Transit Gloria Mundi ("Slash & Burn" to you and me) that usually informs renovation on St George's Hill; yet there it is. A small relic of the Beatle Belt abides.
More to follow...
The Arabs who bought Tittenhurst Park in the early 80's also desecrated that. It's such a shame these larger Beatles related homes don't have listed Beatle status - they are part of the nation's heritage!
ReplyDeleteYep, I agree. Stick an English Heritage Blue Plaque on 'Kenwood' and 'Sunny Heights' ('Summer Haze' as it's now called) ..oh, and Kinfauns ('High Walls' of late)
ReplyDeletePrehaps even the Montagu Terrace flat too, where John and Yoko took the Two Virgins pic, and got busted!
Amazing that the painting or mural has survived! As the estate must have passed through several ownerships, it's even more astounding.
ReplyDeleteBut what is that object behind Ringo that looks exactly like (but obviously can't be) a computer screen? Does anyone know?
To clarify, I meant the pic where Ringo sits on his pool table.
ReplyDeleteWhat looks like a computer screen is likely a "colour organ" (google it) which Magic Alex built... responds to changes in music tones (treble, middle, bass) and flashes colored lights behind a translucent screen. Like shower glass, you don't see the light bulbs, just a burst of colour. Supposedly, Alex had built these successfully, and it (and the phone with a radio in it) where his TWO most successful ventures in electronics!
ReplyDelete