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*.

(Also available as a blog.)

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Sunday 26 April 2015

Tittenhurst: summer, 1971.


More from the Jarlett archive. She continued clipping long after John had moved on - and a good thang too; here, for example, from the Woman's Own, dated January 15th 1972 (but clearly taken the previous summer), a tour of Tittenhurst, accompanied by comments thusly:

"Their bedroom cum living room (1)(above) has areas for relaxing, areas for working. This very private room has a cluttered lived-in atmosphere. A large, low bed covered by a continental quilt stands at one end. An enormous colour television faces it (in the foreground of the picture), lamps, cigarettes are within easy reach, and it is surrounded by their favourite objects - paintings, a stereo record player - all stacked against the wall. Yoko says that she longs for the end of the day when she and John are finally alone up here. Beautiful Persian rugs partially cover the white carpet and at the far end of the room, out of the picture, stands Yoko's desk where she does most of her work."


"The Gallery (2 and 3)(above/below) is John and Yoko's favourite room. Starkly simple, all in white, it has been designed to show off Yoko's exhibition pieces and does so to perfection. John loves to come up here and tinkle away on the piano. "I worked very hard for what I've got. I earned every penny of it. I'm not awed or amazed anymore by what I've got," John says.But still he worries about the white carpet getting marked and visitors are asked to change into slippers on entering the house in typical Japanese fashion."


"The outside of the Lennon's new dream home (4)(below). They spent some time looking for their ideal house set in beautiful grounds with a lake - it had to have a lake. Nowhere they looked at came up to their ideal, either the house was right but the gardens weren't, or vice versa. Then they came across this one. The only problem - it didn't have a lake. So they made one. "It looks like it has been there for ever," says John, "but it has got a rubber bottom." It's got an island, too, topped with an enchanting little white summer house."


"The beautiful and enormous kitchen (5 and 8)(below) is John's pride and joy. Cool looking, modern stainless steel units have been successfully married with the warm tones of old pine furniture, a terracotta tiled floor. Yoko designed it herself and it gives a fascinating insight into the new John and Yoko, who were publicised a few years ago for chopping in half every piece of their furniture. This kitchen had to be big, because the house is always full of people. It had to be streamlined and easy to run. Every modern appliance is here, even an infra red oven so that meals can be heated in seconds. The curving iron staircase (5) rises to John and Yoko's apartments. This part of the house , consisting of their bedroom, bathroom, another tiny kitchen and the terrace, is private - apart from John and Yoko, only the cleaners enter this very personal area."



"A private bathroom (6)(below)leads off their bedroom. Focal point of this room is an enormous curving bath designed for use by two people. "We do everything together," says John. "We want always to be together. We even bath together." Behind the bath, in an alcove, are bottles of beautiful smelling goodies and a telephone sits on the bath edge, a constant reminder of the world outside. Two heavy marble basins, a his and a hers, stand against one wall, and a small Gothic patterned chest, standing against another, hold reading matter and music scores."


"The terrace (7)(below) has traditional white wrought iron garden furniture standing among a mass of pot plants and trees. A dove-coat perches on the end of the terrace, the home of cooing white doves."

Kenwood: July, 1964.


I recently acquired Dot Jarlett's clippings archive, for the princely sum of 50 quid. Lots of innaresting bits and, moreover, bobs. The earlier ones were apparently cut out by John himself... and here is the very earliest, providing shurely the first press mention of Kenwood, from the Daily Herald, Wednesday July 15th 1964.
This picture, then, taken before the Lennons took up residence - and one wonders what they were doing giving interviews about the place when it was supposed to be a big secret.
Download and zoom in to read.

Wednesday 1 April 2015

Kenwood: Cyn.


Via Truth About The Beatles Girls.