Kenwood

Bangor: Paolo Ammassari interview.

2012-01-13T10:19:00.010Z

In the summer of 2011, a fascinating bit of home movie footage appeared on YouTube. It shows the Beatles in the kitchen/dining room of their accomodation at Bangor, during the August Bank Holiday weekend in 1967 which, o' course, culminated in the news of Brian Epstein's demise.
As both the film and the above still reveal, Paolo Ammassari, from Italy, was there too, witness to a key moment in the story. T'internet being what it is, our paths crossed the other day, and Paolo was kind enough to answer a few questions...

KENWOODLENNON: Please introduce yourself! What's your background?

PAOLO AMMASSARI: Long story. Degree in Engineering. Once CEO in one of the Costa Smeralda Companies (the most important touristic European development). Town Planner & Architectural Engineering. At that time (1967) I was 29.

KL: Why were you in Bangor that August weekend in 1967?

PA: I came from Denmark, driving a German car, with other two friends: Ulla and Fabio Posada, with the purpose to join Maharishi in Bangor for a course in meditation. I started TM in 1964 and in these times I followed Him in all His steps in Europe.

KL: I believe you were designated driver for Maharishi in Bangor. How did you get the “job”?

PA: I knew Him since 1964 when I started Meditation. Because of the joy of His lectures and the happiness He was radiating I followed Him all summers He spent in Europe. So I think I earned some trust from Him.

KL: Various photos/film show you as very much part of the "inner sanctum" that weekend (ie with the Beatles in the kitchen that they used as a base of operations, in the Maharishi's room etc). How did you meet them, and how did you gain such access to them?

PA: It was really by chance, not programmed. I drove the Maharishi's car, as I told you, and I don’t remember if on the same day (as the film), or the day before, I drove the car with Maharishi (on my right hand – the car was German, I suppose) and the Four all in the back. Fantastic ! I hoped some picture was taken of that car with all those folk inside but I didn’t find any. There was also one other occasion when I drove Maharishi. Once He arrived by airplane to Rome after midnight. I went to pick Him up at the Fiumicino airport, with my sports car, and I brought Him to the hotel, where He gave some lectures and press interviews. It was strange to see a sports car with open roof with a white dressed Maharishi’s long hair and beard in the wind, in a night of June !

KL: Can you remember any specific conversations with any of them from that time?

PA: During the meeting in the small dining room of the college, with John we spoke about two points: Nazca land drawings (strange isn’t it), and about the possibility of some degree of spirituality not linked to religions. Some years later I heard “Imagine” !!!!

KL: How did the other people there for the Maharishi's talks regard the presence of the Beatles?

PA: One word - enthusiasm. Maybe too much, and I was a little worried about it. During the lecture (there are pictures of it in b&w) the hall was crowded and a few people (I remember, among others, a young man with very sincere eyes) had some questions to forward in a very sympathetic, respectful and, I can say, in an unexpected sweet way. Maharishi spoke about the way in which Transcendental Meditation drives the familiarity of the meditator to states of Transcendental Consciousness and, with the regular practice of it, to an establishment of deep Cosmic Consciousness. The audience was absolutely fascinated by the Maharishi's speech.

KL: You've no doubt seen the footage of the lecture you're talking about:

The Beatles were, fairly obviously, on the stage. What part did they play in the lecture? Did they speak at any point? Were any questions directed towards them, and if so, what?

PA: Yes I saw that film. I was there but in the back row on the right side of Maharishi, and not found in the pictures. The Beatles didn't speak, they were just listening with pleasure and attention. The audience was focused on Maharishi's speech, but the presence of the Four was giving an exceptional atmosphere of charm and joy.

KL: Do you recall anything about the news of Brian's death?

PA: Yes, they were deeply concerned at the news. They went to Maharishi and the farewell was quiet and sad.

KL: Did you subsequently keep in contact with any of them?

PA: No.

KL: Do you have any photos relating to any of the above?

PA: Unfortunately not. As I told you, many pictures were taken during the short drive from the lecture hall and the college, but I haven’t seen any. I would be pleased if you are able to find some.

KL: Many thanks to Paolo, and if anyone has, or comes across, any pictures of those car journeys with Paolo in the driver's seat, then please get in touch.

Dartmoor: Newbridge.

2012-01-13T09:48:00.011Z

A while back, I was asked if I knew the location of the bridge that brought MMT to a halt. God, does it not, loves a visual metaphor, and thus the bus, together with attendant retinue, was famously stymied by a narrow crossway, with the whole shebang forced to reverse half a mile and try another route. (The stars in the above illustration represent expletives from les Fabs, who failed to see the funny side.)
Anyway, I was pleased to reply that I did not know the location, as to have that level of trivia at one's fingertips would represent a tragic waste of a life.
Appallingly, however, having since been unable to resist a rummage for the locale, the tragedy rumbles on: it turns out the offending arches belong to Newbridge on the edge of Dartmoor, a 15th century listed structure which is locally famous, being the subject of postcards and the like, as in this detail from one circa 1930s:

It even has its own Wikipedia entry, and though you'll find no mention of MMT, there is a link to the Coach Drivers' Handbook For The Dartmoor Area, which offers warnings of dire consequences to anyone in charge of a large (possibly multi-coloured) charabanc who doesn't carefully plan their route to avoid narrow medieval bridges.
(Readahs can now relive this episode in Beatles history from the comfort of their own hovels, via the medium of finding the bridge on Google Street view, then repeatedly pressing the reverse button whilst hurling profanity and fulmination at the screen.)

Kenwood: film number 9.

2012-01-01T11:19:00.004Z

This is the ninth bit of film to emerge from Kenwood, by my reckoning (and lumping John's home movies in as one). The preamble outlines its origins. Obligatory "thens" have been inserted (somewhat roughly, but there we are). Much of it will be familiar to regulah readahs, though there are a few hitherto unseen nooks, not to mention crannies. All sounds are authentically Kenwood, too. I can say no more.
(Except: Happy New Year. Should be an interesting one for Beatling, as the first volume of Mark Lewisohn's enormous 3-part tome will appear; plus Lizzie Bravo's remarkable book of photos; and I remain hopeful that the 3D sunroom sees the light o' day sometime soon. One or two other things possibly on the horizon, and doubtless other "stuffs" will turn up through the year. In the meantime, enjoy this.)

Chrimbo: etc.

2011-12-24T10:18:00.001Z

Nuff said.

Thanks to Ian Drummond for the seasonal shizzle.

Tara Browne: oot and aboot.

2011-12-20T21:22:00.004Z

Tara Browne, so the story goes, and as you are no doubt aware, was the man who blew his etc. out in a etc. This slice o' milieu has just popped up on YouTube, and a remarkable little film it is too. Browne, looking uncannily like Peter Cook, buys "threads", attends clubs and "swings", hangs out at Robert Fraser's gallery whilst "birds" of a "dolly" persuasion examine art, chucks Beatles and Dylan albums around like the disposable commodities they once were (Oi! That's a hundred pound "piece" you muppet!)...and so it goes on.
This was very much the world les Fabs moved in at that time, and you half expect one or other of them to suddenly appear. Tara is also seen driving the car that killed him, and the whole thing, topped off by a close-up of the doomed youth, has an undeniable sense of impending etc., much like the song his demise is said to have inspired.
Many thanks to Julian Carr for sniffin' this oot.

Kenwood: more caravan.

2011-12-13T10:12:00.004Z

And whither the caravan? Last seen rotting in the grounds of Tittenhurst, still no word on what ultimately became of it. But here it is, intact, in the summer of 1967 at Kennie.

Kenwood: August '67 re-ups.

2011-12-13T09:59:00.003Z

Yo shorties etc. (I'm not going any further down that path.) Here a couple of pics that have been on before, but in the case of the above slightly cropped and lower res, and in the case of the below, in dreadful quality.
So this is it better, from the pages of odd French publication J2: John and Terry Doran (below, that is - the fellow above, whose photos these are, is now a politician I believe) caught on the step outside the dining room at Kenwood in August 1967, whilst one of the ubiquitous cats goes about its business. Plus a similar view from 2006:

Note how, amongst other things, a door has appeared where previously there was only a window. Now if only that internal sunroom shot, from the same day, would turn up in reasonable quality too.

Wapping Pier Head: more MDO.

2011-12-12T10:03:00.004Z

More MDO reconstruction from Bert Kleersnijder, and further evidence of John "helping" with that pick-axe. Wot a helpful chap.
That's Don McCullin's army jacket, which saw active service in Vietnam:

George, you are spoiling us wis zees stripey trousers:

At one point, the people living in those blocks proffered items for signage, including a copy of Rubber Soul which duly turned up for auction a couple of years back, and sold for a squillion pounds (or something):

Many thanks again to Bert.

Degs and Jack: intercourse.

2011-12-08T19:30:00.002Z

Kinfauns: please Go away.

2011-11-29T13:00:00.008Z

George in 1967, apparently post-EMI session, looking more than a little displeased; his eccentrically punctuated plea first ignored, and then, no doubt, nicked. So it goes.
George was often pictured at this door, which served as de-facto front door, being closest to the entrance gate. It was actually the way in to the dining room:

Thanks to Joe Baiardi for this splendid snap (relatively hi-res too).

Cavendish Avenue: 'tachefest '67.

2011-11-25T21:51:00.008Z

Paul and John talkin' the 'tache in Cavendish Avenue circa Sgt Pepper. Interesting for any number of reasons to those who may be interested, but the Night o' The Eyes always in mind (not literally).
Intereshtingly, John caught in almost the same position as Paul:

Cheers Tammy... Oh you.

Montagu Square: 34 by night.

2011-11-15T14:57:00.014Z

Were you to take a shotgun, cock both hammers, invite it into my mouth and demand an answer to the hardy perrenial, "Choose one Beatles album, and one only. Which shall it be?", I'd be forced to answer "Plee tae i gu ou my mou. I canno enuniae wi a gu i my mou." And then I'd say, "the White Album".
34 Montagu Square was, of course, where John lived whilst contributing to the aforementioned opus, having opted out of Kenwood due to his new "thang" with Yoko. The walls therein witnessed an eventful few months, culminating in the drug bust of Rocktober '68 (of which more in a later post). And, for the third time, I managed to get in, on this occasion finally armed with a camera.
But enough o' my yakkin', where are the Then & Nows already?
Above, the recently unearthed shot of John returning to the flat in the early hours of a '68 morn, and the same location last night. Note the blue plaque. (And I'm going to need a hand getting that postbox into my boot.)(I know a running gag when I see one, db.)
Through the door and into the entrance hall:

The flat occupies two floors, ground and basement. The ground floor has two main rooms - on the left as you enter is the kitchen (as it is now):

Back in the day, the kitchen was downstairs. This room was a bedroom, and here is the very spot where the Two Virgins sleeve was shot:

The window is the same (though bars have been added on the outside) and the external view identical:

Oh look, they've even got the Times in it/on it/against it:

Above the "new" fitted cupboards (the flat was extensively renovated in the mid-90s), some original features remain:

In this corner, the titular bed once sat (and it was here that Pete Shotton decided he'd had enough of being John's "Piss Artist"):

Across the hall is a living room. As ye will no doubt know, before John and Yoko's tenure, Jimi Hendrix also resided here (with Ringo as landlord in both cases). Here they are, on either side of the fireplace (which, I reckon, still has its original surround, were one to strip off that white paint):

All that de-rigeur '60s wood long gone, though:

No pictures of John and Yoko in this room have surfaced thus far. It's quite possible that they didn't really use it, as it's the most exposed room in the flat, with windows opening on to the street.
Heading downstairs, there is another living room. Ringo and Maureen were pictured here in 1965, and John too in 1968 during his Rolling Stone interview with Jonathan Cott. The decor hadn't really changed in the intervening period; note those odd floor-shelves:

This room remains fairly close to its auld incarnation, the main differences being the fireplace, which has had a mantelpiece added, and the removal of the "shelving". But other elements are spottable:

The other main room downstairs used to be the kitchen. There are a few pics of Ringo and Maureen in here, but the best ones in terms of decor spotting feature our old friend Mr Jimi:

Again, the window endures, but nothing much else:

Over Jimi's shoulder, a door can be seen, and there's still one there now:

It leads to a small bathroom, and a mystery:

The question is where were these...:

...these...:

...and these taken?:

This room was John's "office", and it must (one would think) have been in the space now occupied by the above bathroom, and another bathroom on the other side of the wall:

Here's the other bathroom. The mirror wall divides the two, and a bit of wall tapping reveals that there was a door to the right of where the mirror now is:

But damned if I can see any relation between either (or both) rooms and the photos of John's office. I won't go into it at length at this juncture (you'll be relieved to hear), but the answer will no doubt appear if/when contemporary floor plans can be tracked down.
In the meantime, huge thanks to the flat's current owner Reynold D’Silva, and to top bloke Peter Compton for sorting out the shufti.

Wapping Pier Head: more Wapping.

2011-11-14T09:56:00.006Z

More from Bert Kleersnijder's splendid MDO revisit. Of most interest, perhaps, are those Then & Nows from the non-public side of the garden (and note too the rarely aired uncropped version of this 'un):

So those buildings on the corner there are new. I'd also never seen a present day shot of this location, until now:

The dockside area of Wapping was subject to massive reconstruction in the '80s and '90s; note how the big colonial warehouses behind are all gone now (though some buildings on the other side of the Thames seem to have survived):

Getting all this reconstruction off to a flying start were John and Ringo...:

...who, ever helpful, booted things off via the medium of smashing things with pickaxes:

Many thanks to Bert for sharing these, and yet more to come too.

Kenwood: much attic.

2011-11-11T15:27:00.007Z

Here's one of the hitherto unseen attic bedrooms in 2006. Which one (at that time there were three, including the former studio) is guessable thanks to Joe's video, which shows traces of the '06 decor still in place amid the renovation, including a tell-tale splash of red in the window alcove nearest the old studio room:

Compare the Lennon-era layout. Note that the wall dividing the windows (and rooms) had been demolished by the time Joe got there:

Inarreshtingly, the Beatles Book labelled the pic of John in the mirror as being from the room next to the studio; taking them at their word, that would mean (to state the numbingly obvious) this very location. And there does seem to be a fit: note the windowsill, and that angled "joist" (or whatever it is) - an exact match:

Outside, the view corresponds with a small bit of the other attic alcove, and the more substantial guest bedroom roof:

So another Kenwood location nailed. There he did squat. Try to contain yourself. Etc.
(Incidentally, this was also the location of the blue window (see posts passim), and that's not it in the mirror shot, which means it must have been installed post-June 29, 1967. Try further to contain yourself.)(AND FAIL, HUMAN.)

Kenwood: the front door endures!

2011-11-07T15:14:00.007Z

Above, the kitchen in '06. This, as "readahs" will know, is a new bit of the house, constructed in the mid-90s. In John's time, there was an odd internal yard in this position, next to the garage overlooking the pool. An almost identical shot has been on here before - but, crucially, that one didn't show the external door. This one does, to the left of the pic...and if that's not the old Lennon-era front door, then it's Dylan caps for dinner tonight:

The current front door is substantially bigger than this one. After (or before) installing it, they must have decided to keep the old front door as well, but transplant it to the new kitchen block. And there it is!
So much of this blog charts the destruction of locale, that it's pleasing to report an unexpected incidence of endurance.
Knockers or no knockers.

Kenwood: living room & den - variations on a theme.

2011-11-06T16:21:00.004Z

Here's the living room in 2006, shot from the dining room door. Compare with 1965:

The door on the opposite wall leads to the den (as was):

This room, at least, recognisable from its previous incarnation. Compare with 1968:

The famous (round these parts) photos of the Fool taken, o' course, in this location. But that radiator wall has been knocked through to make a door:

I suppose there is a limited number of ways to sensibly arrange a room (and if there's one thing I am synonymous with, it's the sensible arrangement of rooms), but what I find mildly diverting is blah blah blah...

Kenwood: guest bedroom view.

2011-11-06T14:33:00.005Z

If you've ever looked at the various pictures of John on his favourite perch and wondered what could be seen from the window above (and unless you are a deeply disturbed individual, you haven't, but nevertheless), then wonder no more.
In 2006 this room was the master bedroom, but back in the day it served as the main guest bedroom. How it looked I know not, but the view from the window probably hasn't changed a great deal. Here it is in '06:

John Hallenius mentioned being able to see all the way to Guildford from the upstairs windows. If so, the large building on the left might be Guildford Castle:

Or not.

Kenwood: more greenhouse.

2011-11-06T14:07:00.005Z

I have dribbled previously that the greenhouse was demolished in the mid-90's. Wrong again; here it is in 2006, very much undemolished, and its exact location clear from the panorama above.
Below - 1968, 1967, 2006:

As far as I know, it isn't there now however - but maybe Joe can confirm that.

Kenwood: attic studio - 1967 & 2006.

2011-11-05T23:23:00.013Z

This, sadly and happily, represents the peak of this thus far. On several different occasions vaguely contemporary photos of this room have been almost within my grasp (Joe Baiardi's wonderful and valuable vid notwithstanding), but in each case the photographer has decided that you seeing them would violate their essential etc., so unseen they remain.
None of this matters, but if it does, it is because in this room John (and Paul) wrote many of the most etc. songs of the 20th etc. right here! Next to the stuffed bunny!
As "then and now"s go, this is the tops. That bunny occupies the very spot. Oh yes. Or no.
A veritable trove has almost literally been inserted in my hard drive this evening (steady), and the results will, due to the fact that I am unemployed, be on here imminently. But this is the best one, mundane as it may be.
(This is how the room looked a few years back. Now not. So "then and thens" then.)

Kenwood: December, 1968.

2011-11-02T08:50:00.002Z

Just to prove that it wasn't all quibbling about Indica, somewhere in amongst all that hair are John and Yoko, in the garden at Kenwood in December 1968, enjoying a quiet winch (to employ the argot of Airdrie).

52 Radnor Walk: Quorum - December, 1968.

2011-11-02T07:51:00.008Z

Tammy posted this over at the ever excellent Beatle Photo Blog, suggesting it might be the dressing room at Kenwood. That was my first thought too upon first glance, I must confess. But there is clearly an end terraced house outside the window, so unfortunately not.
The pic is from the March 18, 1969 issue of Look magazine, and captioned "Lennon and Ono boutique-it-up on King's Road". My guess is that it was actually taken in Quorum, which occupied a house at 52 Radnor Walk (just off the aforementioned "King's Road"). (The exterior "then & nows" above seem to match.) It's mentioned in The Beatles' London as the subject of an amusing quote from proprietress Alice Pollock, concerning a 1969 visit from the pair: "Yoko had a skirt shortened that was so short anyway there was no skirt left. John just went around growling at everything."
The mag (Look) is well worth tracking down, for a verbatim slice-o'-life at Kenwood and elsewhere in December, 1968. Though it is fairly anti-Yoko, it provides a few interesting quotes, including some bickering about their initial meeting at Indica, during which John claims not to remember meeting Yoko at the gallery at all. (He may, however, just have been saying this to irritate her, as she had annoyed him by claiming he "looked so ordinary" at their first encounter.)
"You're always changing the story," quoth Yoko, "I'm getting uptight." "What're you getting uptight about?" ripostes John, "Because I didn't remember you at the Indica Gallery? Serves you right. After sayin' I looked just like a bank clerk."
Ahh... such squabbling twas ever the stuff of young love.

Wapping Pier Head: 6↑2, part 1.

2011-10-31T14:48:00.006Z

It can't still be there, can it? But apparently, it is. These new "nows", courtesy of Bert Kleersnijder, show 6↑2 very much in-situ. But what is 6↑2? What means 6↑2? No doubt something to do with Faul related nonsense. Or not.
Still, these are great:

The location is now a private garden, usually locked, of which the old filled-in Pier Head is part. Surprisingly, much remains as was:

Bert, having gained access, spent an hour meticulously capturing "nows" for all the MDO shots from this locale. He's promised to send the rest as soon as they have been edited:

Many thanks to him.

St Annes Court: Trident Studios.

2011-10-23T15:48:00.017+01:00

Late August, 1968. Tiring of the shitty vibes, El Schnoz has walked out on sessions for the new album, opting instead for Sardinia. The remaining three decide to plough on, and are "photoed" by fannage entering St Annes Court, home of Trident Studios, to begin work on Dear Prudence.
Here's John back then (looking, in the following photos, decidedly Rabbi Saul-like), probably carrying lyrics and notes for his new song (or not), together with the obligatory nows:

Interesting (or not) to see how the buildings, though remodelled and renovated, retain echoes of earlier incarnations:

Paul is also captured (not literally) at some point on St Annes Court, heading for "drummal" duties on Prudence - hard to say exactly where, but a comparison of the brickwork (my speaking voice in no way resembles E.L.Wisty's) leads me to suspect that this is virtually the same spot as the John pic:

If so, this bit now completely different:

...which should come as no surprise. St Annes Court, in common with everything else on this blog, has been subject to a huge amount of reconstruction over the years. Take the following example: facing in the opposite direction from the above shots, we see John just outside Trident, engaging with fannage. Compare the same spot 10 years earlier in 1958:

The above black and white pic is precisely how the street would have appeared to the Beatles back then. And now?:

Trident (or the location thereof) is marked by the arrows, but everything on the right hand side has been demolished, including, sadly, the elegant St Annes Buildings, one wall of which formed part of Flaxman Court, directly opposite the studio's front door. Paul was also pictured here with a selection of his girlfriends that month. I jest:

Irritatingly, the girls get in the way of seeing what the exterior of Trident looked like back then. These days it has distinctive metal"werk", as seen above, but possibly not back then. Luckily, however, the following lucky snap (of Paul leaving post-Prudence session) gives a lucky glimpse of the lucky entrance area in unlucky 1968: again, ye must compare with the noo - no more "shit brown" decor, and a bit of remodelling seems to have occurred, but it's fundamentally the same space:

Here's a panoramic shot as it is now. The door on the right leads to an office, and then to what was the Studio 1 Control Room. To the left of that is the lift. The stairs down lead to what used to be Studio 1 itself, and the stairs up in days of yore would have taken you to Studio 2, tape rooms etc.:

But what of this fabled Studio 1 Control Room, I hear you mutter. The next photo shows how it was laid out when Hey Jude and the four White Album tracks recorded here were "done": the console faced the entrance wall, and wood strip wall furniture was much in evidence. Again, compare with the contemporary view:

When Trident upgraded the console in the early '70's, it was installed facing in the opposite direction. Note the big window, which looked down on Studio 1 below. These days, the window is covered from behind, because there are now three studios down there with low ceilings, and thus the view wouldn't be up to much:

Back then, however, it was rather different. This famous photo of Paul, George and brass players mid-Honey Pie taken from the Control Room window. The arrow, thrillingly, points to a vent of note (one of a pair), which, if you can remain conscious long enough, I shall return to presently:

This 'un is, apparently, Paul recording the vocal for the lovely Martha My Dear, looking up at our by-now-old-friend the Studio 1 Control Room window for thumbs-up-or-downage:

But what now remains of this hallowed space? It survives, though, as mentioned previously, there are three small studios occupying the area. Trident specialises in voice-over work for film and TV these days, and doesn't record music anymore.
However, there are a trio of remnants. Remember the by-now-our-old-friend-one-of-a-pair vent? Well, it's gone. But the other one is still there! And the entrance is in the same place too:

The third, thrillingly, is the door to the toilet, which now doesn't lead to a toilet, but remains in-situ nevertheless. This, o' course, was the very one El Schnoz appeared from in the nick of time to add his "drummal" to Hey Jude:

Finally, the old studio from the other angle; that far wall corresponds to one of the new rooms:

And that's it. There are other photos of les Fabs in and around Trident, but none of them show anything much of the building itself (apart from one of John and Yoko in the tape room on the third floor - I didn't get in there, as it's now part of another business).
Apparently the current owner gets various folk from Trident's golden age turning up from time to time for a nostalgic rummage, including David "Dave" Bowie, Roger May and Brian Taylor of the Queens, and even our very own Sir Paul "McCartney" Macca. You too can join them (not literally), as if the studio isn't busy and more than 4 people feel so inclined, then there is a tour every Thursday evening. White Album freaks (and I assume ye, like me, qualify) should take advantage before it's all gone for good.
Alrighty?
Many thanks to Julian Carr.

Jacaranda Club: missing missive.

2011-10-17T08:23:00.005+01:00

Missing till now, that is; Paul's letter to an unknown tub-thumper inviting him in for an audition shortly before Hamburg. The letter shows they knew (at least partially) what they were getting into. Whether this proto-Ringo responded and auditioned unsuccessfully is unknown (though it's generally been thought up to now that the Beatles were so desperate for a drummer that they'd have taken anyone with a functioning snare).
Thanks to Lizzie.

Cavendish Avenue: refurbishment - 1965.

2011-10-15T14:51:00.009+01:00

It took Paul over a year to move in to Cavendish Avenue, mainly because of the inevitable internal and external refurbishment. Above is how the place looked shortly after he bought it, but before he'd moved in: no gate yet, and the door still to be replaced. But comparing these 3 shots (1961/1965/1968), I don't see a lot of difference (though I'm sure all the work was "essential", not to mention, surely coincidentally, "extortionate"):

Liverpool: 1971 Merseybeat Convention.

2011-10-14T14:11:00.010+01:00

This, my friends, is gold. Various ghosts of Merseybeat (including, in one case, an ex-Silver Beatle) are seen ruminating upon the contemporary (and moribund) "scene", as it was in Liverpool at the dawn of the '70s.
Reporter Bernard Falk pokes around the Cavern (that's the actual pre-demolition Cavern, in glorious colour), and interviews the actual Allan Williams, who, complete with pint, sports the second most spectacular mutton-chops I've ever seen (see if you can spot the pair that best his elsewhere in this).
Top-notch stuff, and suffused with both a palpable sadness that back then, at that time, no-one much seemed to care anymore, and a sense that places such as the empty Cavern, as portrayed in this priceless footage, were about to be swept away forever. Palpable, I tell ye.
(I've just realised this cuts off a bit early, but you can see the end, together with other innareshting shtuffsh, HERE.)

Kenwood: interview - April, 1965.

2011-10-14T11:36:00.004+01:00

This most "innaresting" interview provides a verbatim slice of life at Kenwood in April '65 (or thereabouts). You can read it for "youselfs", but a few points to note: 1. Large (and doubtless good) dog Nigel, previously unknown, and now immediately to return to canine obscurity from whence he skittered. 2. Blues Rags & Hollers (as it is actually titled) was an album by Koerner, Ray & Glover, much admired by the Lenin-cap wearing brigade. 3. Bernard Levin called the then Tory Leader Sir Alec Douglas-Home a "cretin" and an "imbecile" on Not So Much A Programme More A Way Of Life, which was the follow-up to That Was The Week That Was. 4. John seems somewhat agitated (one can guess why - last man standing at the Ad-Lib yet again); Cynthia seems somewhat appalled, even given that it was very much pre-PC. 5. I can say no more.
Many thanks to Richard Morton Jack for passing this on.

Montagu Square: August 1st, 1968.

2011-10-12T22:02:00.004+01:00

"Oh look!" quoth Ringo, upon being shown the Two Virgins sleeve, "You've even got the Times on it!" (Did he say "on it" or "in it"? The former would be more appropriate in the above example. But I digress.) Indeed they did, with the Times Business News section evident on the floor on the sleeve, and errr...not on the floor in the out-take above.
The actual date of the "Twa" Virgins cover shoot is unknown, but it may well have been the very same day as this paper was published, namely Thursday August 1st, 1968.
Leafing through any newspaper from back then is interesting, but particularly so in this case: which stories would have caught John's eye? (There really, genuinely is no pun intended.)(And in any case John, apparently, would usually read every story in whatever paper was to hand. But anyway...)
Obviously this 'un:

And clearly this one too:

John, Paul, Dylan and Nilsson all lauded.
TV that evening was a fairly uninspiring selection across 3 (count 'em) channels, with Top Of The Pops at 7.30 probably being the highlight. "All Programmes in Colour" on BBC2, though. Which must have been nice.
Finally, the back page would almost certainly have been perused to see how Northern Songs was doing:

(And if anyone out there has a copy of the Day In The Life Daily Mail, do get in touch.)

Cavendish Avenue: October 9th, 2011.

2011-10-09T23:06:00.008+01:00

It's been quite a day at Cavendish Avenue; possibly the last old skool "great day" there (with press, camera crews, fannage, irritated neighbours etc). Ringo's been round, amongst others. But you wouldn't expect any of that here, would you? Instead, it's all about the bricks and mortar, so a then & now: Paul's place as seen in 1969, on the occasion of his first wedding, and the same spot today, on the occasion of his third.
As the sun went down every light inside came on, and it was rather nice to see the auld place full of life once again:

Good on yer, Macca.

Kenwood: kitchen.

2011-10-09T18:11:00.003+01:00

This 'un has been on here before, but cropped and small. Here it is all uncropped and large: the only shot to have emerged thus far from the old kitchen at Kenwood, though I don't doubt that more are out there somewhere.

Kenwood: June, 29th 1967.

2011-10-09T16:44:00.003+01:00

More John on the couch, June 29th, 1967.

Sunny Heights: Ringo's mural.

2011-10-02T18:04:00.007+01:00

As has been seen, the mural that Ringo had "done" at Sunny Heights in 1967, remarkably, endures. Here's a closer look:

The artist turns out to have been one Dudley Edwards. He had been staying with Paul at Cavendish Avenue (where he painted the piano in the upstairs music room), before moving on to Sunny Heights. Whilst chez Richie, he "done" this:

More detail:

He also visited John at Kenwood during this period, where he managed to almost drown in the pool; John had to drag him out and revive him. Edwards was also responsible for the paint job at John Crittle's Dandy Fashions on the Kings Road, which later, o' course, turned into Apple Tailoring:

Thanks to Joe Baiardi for some o' this shizzle.

Crowcombe Heathfield Rail Station: spherical restitution.

2011-10-02T13:08:00.012+01:00

"Please Mister, can we have our ball back?".
Crowcombe Heathfield station, part of the West Somerset line, is another place of interest (no, really). It dates from the mid-1800s, and the original signal box, past which the Beatles trotted/cycled for one of the more amusing bits of HDN, was constructed in 1879.
Here it is as pictured in the 1950s:

And a good then & then from 1966:

Soon after les Fabs made ludicrous use of it, at around the time of the above pic, the station was "rationalised" by British Rail, and began to fall into disrepair. It eventually closed altogether in the early '70s. The signal box was demolished, and this shot shows that side of the platform after it had been removed:

Happily, the station re-opened in 1979, and a team of volunteers has restored it to a pristine state. They even tracked down a similar signal box at Ebbw Vale Sidings, and moved it to the former position of the old one on the station platform. So there it now sits, marking the spot of a famous bit of Beatle burlesque:

Kenwood: July, 1964.

2011-10-01T11:48:00.005+01:00

Some photos of Kenwood, in their fullest incarnation thus far, from very shortly after John bought the place in July, 1964. These are the earliest shots in circulation (though I'm certain there are preceding ones buried in someone's drawer somewhere).
Clearly there has been jiggery (not to mention pokery)(or possibly hanky)(but let us not dwell on panky) with some of these, but they remain innaresting for all that - the aforementioned lends an almost 3D quality to this one:

John, as ye must know by now, acquired Kenwood from an American woman, who had been living there with her husband up until his death. The house and grounds had apparently fallen into some disrepair, as is evident from the state of the drive:

Massive renovation ensued - but have a look at the following:

The bit arrowed is where John built his swimming pool, but at this time there was, in theory, nothing there (and no sunroom/large garage etc. either); yet there does appear to be something:

The American woman returned to the States after selling Kenwood to John. Whoever she was, I'd like a look at her photo album.
Thanks to Eric Nernie.

13 Emperors Gate: underground sound.

2011-10-01T11:15:00.009+01:00

One man's detail is another man's anal retention, with one or other of these things being what it's all about round here. And so to the dullest photo I've ever taken: above, the view from a District Line train as it pulls out of Gloucester Road station. I was on said train the other day when it occurred to me that the tracks run directly behind the site of John's old flat on Emperors Gate. As readahs will know, this block was demolished in the 1980s to provide space for a new office building, the back of which can, thrillingly, be seen above.
The following map shows the position of number 13 relative to the train tracks:

Thus the daytime and evening clatter of tube carriages must have been a constant background sound at number 13, and commuters (possibly creepily) would have been able to catch glimpses of activity chez-Lennon through his rear windows, had they only known.
The recent "non-sale" sale of Astrid's photos threw up a number of previously unseen images captured in the living room there. Pity about the watermarks:

It all looks fairly subfusc, and a great contrast to the coming acid grandeur of Kenwood:

Tantra: not Tantrum.

2011-09-26T21:08:00.003+01:00

As the sainted Alan Partridge might have it, "AHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA". No sooner had I "done" the previous post than Plasticine Porter emailed with detailed photos of the up-to-date Mini, one of which immediately leaped (?) to my attention - namely, the piggy (if piggy it be). Said "piggy" features in the aforementioned tome Tantra Art, thus proving that Tantrum Art is nonsense, and that Tantra Art was indeed the one to provide George with inspiraton.
Going back to the old paint job, the "pig" is there too:

So, it's all clear now. Many Thanks to Sam.

Kenwood: autumn, 1967.

2011-09-18T16:24:00.002+01:00

Further fannage, outside the front door, circa MMT.
Thanks to Mr L.

Montagu Square: late summer, 1968.

2011-09-13T21:45:00.006+01:00

A splendidly candid dead o' night shot of a slightly startled John, on the corner of Montagu Place and Montagu Square, no doubt freshly dropped off by Antony or Shotton post-White Album session. Yoko must be just out of frame behind him.
It's perhaps surprising that more photos of the pair of them outside number 34 haven't surfaced; but possibly no-one really knew they were there pre-bust, and post-bust, they weren't.
Thanks to Eric Nernie.

Kenwood: more sun & bedroom - December, 1968.

2011-09-10T08:19:00.005+01:00

Sunroom close-ups from Susan Wood, and more of John's inveterate tea drinking (and "snoutage"):

Plus one that Tammy just posted, taken from Look magazine, showing more bed:

Dribblesome stuff.

Kenwood: aquatism - December, 1968.

2011-09-09T20:58:00.012+01:00

More wonderous (caveat caveat) Kenwood pics, from the winter o' '68: John and Yoko out for a stroll by the pond. Where this pond was, exactly, remains unanswered, possibly because the question hasn't been formulated, let alone posed. Yet pond there was, somewhere in the grounds. Cathy Kelleher Sarver captured something vaguely similar a few months earlier:

And another, this time with one of John's Kenwood cats, of whom there were at least 9:

What happened to them? Again, I know not, but it would be "nice" to believe that they were taken to Tittenhurst, and allowed to continue procreating (and pissing) (not to mention shitting) at will. If so, their descendents etc.
Speculation hasn't exactly been rife as to who took these, but the answer is Susan Wood: the above two, and the recent ones below (including the pic of John sleeping).
Fantastic they are, but I can't help wondering what else there is. She seems to have been with Joko for around 3 days (including a couple of overnights at Kenwood), with the specific brief to take as many photos as possible. Given that only around 30-40 have thus far surfaced, how many more is she sitting on (not literally, that would be ridiculous)?
Whatever, these are quite good. (Celtic understatement.)

Kenwood: sunroom, December 1968.

2011-09-06T20:29:00.005+01:00

More superlative sunroom shots from December 1968; the back wall and cupboards looking a little threadbare following Cynthia's clearance job. No more Safe As Milk (though shurely Lil and Cyn didn't nab those. Beefheart was, apparently, quite critical of the Beatles' more psychedelic oeuvre, which is a bit rich coming from the man who released Strictly Personal (though the phasing wasn't his fault). Still, whatever point I was trying to make when I began this sentence, some time ago, should be clear). Compare with June '67 - and note the re-upholstery of the couch had begun even then:

Enthralling stuff, yes? Hello? Helloooo? Echoechoechoetc etc etc.
Anyway, tea and salad was the order of this particular day:

Further exposure:

Kenwood: master bedroom, December 1968.

2011-09-05T21:09:00.005+01:00

John caught napping in the master bedroom at Kenwood in December, 1968 (and in its own way, a more intimite shot than some other more obvious contendahs).
Compare with the black and white pic previously on here:

Some more similarly first-rate shots have been shoved under my nose this evening, and they'll be on here in good time.
Sir Thom, I thank ye once more...

Kenwood: spring 1968.

2011-09-02T19:14:00.003+01:00

Two more from the same encounter that produced this one:

Clearly taken around the Time Of The Two Virgins Evening Time, as it isn't known.
Further evidence that John was indeed accommodating towards Ver Fannage (give or take the odd "Piss Off" or other "incident"), which is a theme around here, and about time too.
More thanks to Mark L.

Kenwood: awning (possibly yawning).

2011-08-31T09:15:00.008+01:00

Yawn if ye will, but the above represents the first half (or quarter) decent look at the garage entrance, as was, and that curious (if functional) awning:

Presumably there to provide additional cover for the collection of cars at Kenwood, it was of a fair length, as is clear from the aerial shot:

Here's the same spot now, from Joe Baiardi's most recent video:

As readahs will know, John was responsible for building that whole end of Kenwood, and it's all now gone (everything re-built in the mid-90s). But I wonder who the architect was back then. Presumably the construction was handled by Brickey Builders, though as John seems to have gone ahead without planning permission, no records are in the public domain (as far as I can gather).
At any rate, the "new" pic does exist in much better quality, if in private hands and unlikely to be more widely seen.
This, however, whets the appetite even more for Lizzie Bravo's photos of Kenwood, taken at the time, which apparently cover the exterior from every conceivable angle. She's very kindly offered to scan them for us as soon as her much-anticipated book is published.
Thanks to Mark L and Joe B.

Kenwood: September, 1967.

2011-08-30T09:34:00.004+01:00

John's "lucky dips" into the mail bags at Kenwood would occasionally encourage him to actually respond, as in this example, post-stamped "Weybridge 6 Sep. 1967". The recipient got John's address via her employer, apparently, who was the florist contracted by Brian to supply his offices.
Clearly, John was still in full-on evangelical mode re. TM (Pete Shotton recounts an amusing tale in his book related to this).
Something else which may be of interest is a PDF of one of Maharishi's publications from 1967, which John would almost certainly have had a copy of. In the Q & A section, the answer to the question about Mantra is almost exactly the one that John gave to David Frost in 1968, post-India, on a theme of "vibrations".
You can get it HERE.

Kenwood: yet more pool.

2011-08-29T18:02:00.005+01:00

More uncropped June 29th 1967 "action", poolside.
Plus a couple of fan photos taken beside the garage, looking down on said "item":

Bangor: yet more Bang.

2011-08-29T17:56:00.011+01:00

Further Bangor "items". First, some interesting uncut footage of them leaving Euston can be seen HERE; the film captures the famous moment when Cyn missed the train (in many ways).
The pics above from the Saturday, and below from the Sunday, as George strums his sitar (missus):

Note the presence of Paolo Ammassari of film fame. Of course (and as usual) I'm guessing (and reiterating), but I do think these pics must have been taken in the morning before they received the bad news about Brian:

Compare the general mood with the clearly "very stunned" expressions during the post-news press conference. Incidentally (or not), here are a couple of Mark Lewisohn's "nows", taken at the very spot:

There are tomes that claim, in ludicrous fashion, that the Beatles went out to meet the reporters with smiles on their faces: completely untrue. Look at John and Ringo as the microphone is off them:

Finally a shot which apparently shows John and Cyn leaving to head back to Kenwood. Why has Cyn changed her clothes? I dunno:

Many thanks to Mark for his photos.

Permutit House: HDN bit part.

2011-08-29T17:29:00.015+01:00

If you're a regular readah of this dribble, then you will doubtless be able to recite large sections of the script for a Hard Day's Night verbatim. The film, a canny move whether by luck or design, represents the first real point where "serious" critics began to catch on that there was more to all this than just piss-covered seats in provincial auditoria.
Anyway, the bit where they break free of rehearsing and, to be blunt, tit-about in a field to the strains of Can't Buy Me Love, is a zeitgeist defining bit o' celluloid. That being so (and it is), I finally made it down to Hounslow, resolutely non-piss-covered copy of the Beatles' London in hand, to see what remains of one of the principal locations for that sequence: Thornbury Playing Fields.
The answer, at least as far as the HDN locale goes, is not a great deal (predictably). Click on the pic above for a better look: housing now covers the area.
Luckily, the iconic (in this context, and this context only) Permutit House still looms over the location, and thus makes orientation fairly easy. Here's Permutit (as it is apparently called) close up:

The mock heli-pad, upon which they titted, was situated somewhere near the last little bit of remaining green:

Apart from this bit, that is:

Speaking of the "white heat of Beatlemania", anyone with an interest in such things should see the following footage HERE: proto HDN (note the way John snarls at the reporter who isn't listening to his answers) and fantastic performance footage from Cheltenham towards the end of 1963. Fookin' FAB! (And yet another doff o' the cap to the Beatles' London - also fookin' FAB!)

Kenwood: June 29th, 1967.

2011-08-28T17:53:00.005+01:00

Both of these have been on here before, but somewhat cropped; here are the full (or at least fuller) versions, with the above providing a thrilling full-colour look at the garage roof, and the below not:

Sibyllas: November 1st, 1967.

2011-08-27T21:33:00.008+01:00

The various "swinging" clubs the Beatles frequented are truly fascinating, aren't they? Aren't they? Aren't they? Aren't they? Aren't they? Aren't they?
Well, aren't they? Aren't they? Aren't they? Aren't they?
No, they are not.
Or are they?
No.
But...etc.
Actually, they are. It's perhaps unsurprising that so few photos exist of "Oor Fabs" (as they are generally known on Scottish council estates) in among the pish. But of course, they were unable to attend pubs, for reasons of prodding/dribbling upon Fabs. (We can all sympathise, one deeply feels, with these.)
Anyway, the actual reason so few pics exist, despite the fact they spent more time getting pished in these places than they did adding flange to Ringo's backing "vox" on etc. was as follows: these clubs were not pubs - they were playgrounds for the "cool", and the "cool" doth not take photos of the "cool", for fear of seeming "uncool".
Here's how the entrance looked in '66, and how it looks now:

By far the coolest thing is that the door remains the same, as John Bonham might have etc.
In the first pic, John and George are there to see Family, a band John admired due to the "LOVE"/"HATE" tattoos on Roger Chapman's knuckles.
And Normans rocks. Yes?

Bangor: August 25 - 27, 1967.

2011-08-26T22:00:00.015+01:00

44 years ago this weekend, the Beatles plus entourage boarded the "Mystical Special" (actually the rather more prosaic 3.15 Stopping Train to Bangor). Thus, it seemed like a good idea at the time to have a look at some related "shizzle" which has arisen of late.
To begin with probably the most interesting: the above screen-cap from home movie footage of breakfast or lunch on what I think was probably the 27th (ie very shortly before they received the news of Brian's death). If you haven't seen it yet, you'll no doubt wish to do so immediately, and don't let me stop you. It can be seen HERE. (We'll return to this later.)
Now, you'd think it would be possible to impose some order on the many photos taken that weekend, via the medium o' fash... and this is what I've attempted to do (emphasis on attempted). So:
AUGUST 25th:
Having arrived and settled in at Normal College, the Beatles (plus all important entourage) head over to the John Phillips Hall for an introductory Mantra (or something). Jagger is made to sit with the WAGS:

The central pic above is the hall as it looks now. The Beatles took their place on stage beside Maharishi:

Following this, they went for a meal at the Senior Chinese Restaurant in town. (Not sure where that was.)
AUGUST 26th:
The Beatles and the Maharishi were housed in student halls known as Dyfrdwy - two almost identical buildings that faced each other then (and still do now). They are currently part of the Bangor Business Centre, and you can stay there for around 60 pounds a night - something I intend to do before too long, in order to get a more substantial shufti. But I digress.
The all important entourage were lodged in another building called Alun. Interestingly, it's in Alun that Paul took the call about Brian (or so it is said).
On the Saturday, the Beatles walked across to the Maharishi's room, and received a flower each for their trouble:

Inevitably, the press were waiting, and so captured them walking back across to their own rooms:

The same spot now:

AUGUST 27th:
Judging by the clobber, these pics were taken in Maharishi's room on the morning of the 27th:

Once more, they were photographed leaving the Maharishi, and crossing the short space to their own rooms:

It must have been around about then that the alarm was being raised in London re. Brian. Upon receiving the news, Paul seems to have left almost immediately (and the same spot now):

John, George and Ringo stayed on to issue a statement (and probably also to speak more with Maharishi):

Having done this, they returned to Weybridge/Esher. Here, the scene of the press conference these days:

AUGUST 28th:
On the Monday, a photo-call for remaining attendees (including Jagger, still there, and seated to Maharishi's right):

The Lips had been under the cosh from John all weekend (peace and love or no peace and love) for "jumping on the bandwagon" and "only being interested in sex"... which is fairly amusing. But I digress.
Back to the film: I think it's likely to be the 27th based, once again, upon the "gear". For example, compare Cynthia's shirt:

If so, and it's lunch (and not breakfast), the film records some of the final moments of the Beatles as a unified entity. The second John heard about Brian, he thought, famously (and presciently), "We've fuckin' had it".
But here, for another hour or so, they hadn't quite "had it" yet:

Kenwood: front gate - 1966.

2011-08-25T17:54:00.006+01:00

John stops the limo at Kenwood's gate to sign for Elizabeth Snead in 1966 (full story on Meet The Beatles For Real, under Friends & Neighbours, should ye wish it). I think the reflection of said gate is visible in the highly polished metalwork on the car:

Possibly.
I bet she took more photos while she was waiting...

Kenwood: Takis in da house.

2011-08-21T18:46:00.007+01:00

A fascinating email from Ken Wood sheds some light (kill me now) on the new hall pic. He points out that Greek kinetic artist Takis exhibited several of his light sculptures at Indica in November 1966. Both Paul and John bought pieces from the show. The Takis exhibition actually followed Yoko's at the same gallery, though John confused the chronology (he's not the only one...ahem) in the Lennon Remembers interview:

"WENNER:
How did you meet Yoko?
LENNON:
I’m sure I’ve told you this many times. How did I meet Yoko? There was a sort of underground clique in London; John Dunbar, who was married to Marianne Faithful, had an art gallery in London called Indica and I’d been going around to galleries a bit on my off days in between records. I’d been to see a Takis exhibition, I don’t know if you know what that means, he does multiple electro-magnetic sculptures, and a few exhibitions in different galleries who showed these sort of unknown artists or underground artists. I got the word that this amazing woman was putting on a show next week and there was going to be something about people in bags, in black bags, and it was ..."

The pic above shows Takis with one of his pieces, White Signal (1966), which was indeed exhibited at the Indica show. Compare it with the object in the new hall pic.
I reckon that what we are looking at is the Takis piece that John bought at Indica - which probably explains the photo; a Takis light sculpture in situ in a famous patron's entrance hall (missus)(seriously, kill me now).
This explanation also narrows the dating of the pic - I'd say it very likely was taken in early '67.
Great work Mr Wood.
NB: I've amended this post, as the previous version relied on John's faulty memory - I blame him for all my shortcomings.
FURTHER UPDATE: Sam Hampson has sent in the following pic, which doesn't really require any further explanation:

Thanks to him.

Kenwood: mirror business.

2011-08-21T12:07:00.005+01:00

I am indebted to those who have pointed out what nun but a fule could have missed - namely, that enormous mirrored wall which I failed to spot for reasons of beer. It's even there on the Partridge plan; so there wasn't (just) a mirrored door to the kitchen, but rather an entire mirrored wall.
Which means these pics should possibly be this way round:

Or not.

Kenwood: entrance hall.

2011-08-20T17:16:00.019+01:00

Assuming, gentle readah, that ye are here to celebrate and not ridicule (not to mention titter (Sir Thomas)), then you will imagine my excitement at this: a professional picture of the entrance hall at Kenwood, taken, I'd guess, sometime in late 1966, or early 1967. The detail is quite amazing, but, in the nature of these things, the picture poses more questions than it answers.
To take the latter first, one thing that has, sadly (in many senses), bugged me for ages is the table sold at auction by Cooper Owen a few years back:

The literature claimed this was a fixture at Kenwood. To prove it, the sale included a photo of John and Julian at Kenwood in front of said table - not included in the catalogue, of course, and not one I have ever seen. (I'd guess it's a hitherto uncirculated June 29th shot.)
So I was, I confess, pleased to spot it there, sitting in the middle of the hall (or rather, beside the completely bleeding obvious mirror) in this new photo:

Looking back, I realise the damned thing was actually there in one of Cathy Kelleher Sarver's '68 Kenwood pics (though the quality was too low to see it before now):

And so to unanswered questions. Why was this picture taken? I suspect it may have had something to do with the lights:

There's actually another pic illustrating the effects of these when the main hall lights were switched off:

Suitably psychedelic (and there's that blue again).
But I don't know. There must be more from this session: as I say, they are professional photos, and unique in being more interested in Kenwood (or at least lights) than celebrity.
Similar shots of the rest of the house would be, to put it bluntly, craaankin'.

West Malling: Kings Hill - Durello Avenue.

2011-08-20T17:05:00.015+01:00

What, pray tell, compels all this? It's an odd business, no question, but one of many itches that, I feel, needed scratching revolves around the former West Malling (pronounced "Mawling", apparently) Airfield, scene of much of Magical Mystery Tour, and visited by "your" (why is everything "your" these days?) tired/emotional writer of drivel during the glorious summer of 1985, before the dread redevelopment.
It's been a source of regret, somewhere amongst the middle of the by now enormous pile of regrets, that I didn't take more photos that day (particularly given that the ones I did take were of the wrong thing).
So I felt compelled, m'lud, to return, digital camera in hand, in order to test the assertion in the Beatles' London that the "new roads and buildings have obliterated any sense of MMT orientation".
Using (or mis-using) the wonders of satellite mapping, together with the glorious diagrams in the aforementioned tome, it's still possible to locate the Walrus locales, mainly due to the fact that the developers haven't managed to destroy the surrounding woods yet (Hoath Wood, Coalpit Wood, Not Sure If I Wood, Jesus I Should Be Beaten To A Pulp Immediately For That Which Isn't Even A Wood, and so on, and so forth, etc.).
Thus, Durello Avenue: this is the very spot where the sequence for I Am The Walrus was filmed:

It's now a cul-de-sac, and they were smack in the middle of it (if that makes sense):

The famous blast walls (32 pairs, fact fans), long, long gone, o' course. These were mainly situated on the edges of the airfield, but the one behind the Beatles was directly beyond what is now Durello Avenue, and luck has dictated that the patch of ground thus far remains:

So, to labour the point unnecessarily, here is what's left of the Walrus locations:

Funnily enough, in what seems to be about the right position (re. blast wall), there is the concrete footprint of...something:

Walking on past the houses that can be seen in the above pic, I came upon a patch of undespoiled ground; the perimeter road would have run along to the right. Traces of the old airfield remain here, yet this too is about to be swallowed up by a no doubt horrible business park:

Wandering further I arrived at the edge of the former airfield, a spot now marked by large chunks of something or other:

Clearly these were once part of something else; one would hope an airfield related building, but shurely not the blast walls?
So there we have it. There is still a small patch of MMT in Kings Hill, if one knows where to look. But I wouldn't count on it for very much longer. So it goes.

50 Pubs Associated With The Beatles:...

2011-08-20T17:04:00.009+01:00

No. 41: The Merrie Harriers, Cowbeech, East Sussex.
The above pic of Brian and Nat Weiss, taken shortly before the former's demise, is generally thought to have been captured outside the pub in the mews behind his house in Chapel Street. This despite the fact that the exterior of that pub (The Horse and Groom) looks nothing like the one featured in the photo. I had thought the explanation must lie with our old friend renovation...but once again, I was mistaken.
Mark Lewisohn has tracked down the actual pub, namely the Merrie Harriers in Sussex, not far from Brian's country retreat Kingsley Hill:

These are Mark's pics of the pub, which he has kindly shared, and you lucky people can take them as a small taster of a forthcoming "pwoject" which will see his extensive Eppy archives shunted onto the web. Watch this space for details (and many thanks to Sir Thomas Titte).

Kenwood: sunroom, August 1967.

2011-08-18T07:05:00.004+01:00

More (above) of these (below) have just come to light, via Tracks:

Pity about the watermarks, and the piano end remains fuzzy (though elucidation of a sort coming soon)...but these are fantastic. Shurely no more?

Abbey Road: or is it?

2011-08-13T15:06:00.005+01:00

Above: Abbey Road, this morning, 13th August 2011.
Below: Abbey Road, errr...at some point, 30th October 1971.

Is it Abbey Road, though? On the one hand, a stupid question: of course it is. But on the other...still a fairly stupid question. However, infallible rumour would have it that the crossing, subject as it has been to numerous repaintings over the years, now sits a few feet away from its original position. Thus, if so, the unhinged hordes who descend upon it each and every day, causing fury among the local transport 'n' truckage, are actually walking over the wrong bit of tar.
Richard Oliff recently, and kindly, sent some of his snaps from autumn 1971, when there could have been no doubt as to the crossing's bona fides: this was the very same upon which they traipsed. It struck me that it might be amusing to go and take an exact "now" shot, and see how far, and if at all, the thing has shifted.
Here's the result:

I'd say it's in pretty much exactly the same position. The lamp-post has been replaced, and is now a bit to the right, and the road has clearly been resurfaced a few times, but the crossing itself hasn't moved. Unhinged hordes, go about thy business.
Next, the entrance to the studio. The bell, the railings, and probably the wooden surround survive intact. The steps may have been replaced, or just repaired. Various fripperies have been added:

So there we have it. The river, as Robert Robinson might have put it, does not, and indeed, cannot remain the same, though ever onwards it do flow, and errr...etc.
But hold yourselves a second, what's this? There's something a little odd about today's shot:

Errr...:

Many thanks to Richard Oliff for sharing his pics.

Weybridge: Ellesmere Court.

2011-08-11T21:02:00.005+01:00

Alf Bicknell (driver of Beatles), so 'tis written, lived for a while in the attic at Kenwood. Not so, according to the whip-hand himself; he did help John paint one of the small attic rooms over a few lagers in the spring of 1965, but never actually moved in.
More interesting, however, is his actual abode - a flat in Ellesmere Court, Weybridge, either owned or rented (I'd guess the latter) by John. It was initially acquired for Cynthia's mother, presumably whilst the Lennons were living in the attic flat at Kenwood during renovations. When Lil moved out to a bungalow somewhere or other, the flat remained, and Alf moved in. How long the place was in John's name (or whether he ever actually put in an appearance) is unknown, at least by me.
But there it remains: his other Weybridge abode.

Sunny Heights: another blue window.

2011-08-11T20:35:00.007+01:00

Ringo in the custom built Leisure Wing at Sunny Heights, mid-Summer o' Etc. The above pic one of Tammy's latest batch, but there, I think, the wrong way round. This was the extension to the extension, an odd little add-on behind the projector room, the point of which is unknown; but notice - it's a blue window.
John, o' course, had a blue window installed in the attic at Kenwood around this time (later, as we have seen, to be removed and then lost):

So what was it with the blue windows? Why blue? And why windows? Why, I ask ye? I, once again, dunno. (It may well have been nothing more than one of them doing it, and the other copying.)
From straight on, it seems there wouldn't be room for windows either side of the round one:

Yet from side on, there clearly is:

Odder.
Palpable nonsense.

Kenwood: return of the Eye.

2011-07-20T21:39:00.008+01:00

Ever wondered what became of the Eye? Last seen in Liverpool circa 1985, on display at the Festival Garden site, it subsequently seems to have been found face down in a field (or something), before disappearing altogether.
But now up it has popped, the original owners having tracked it down and regained legal possession; the good news is that the Eye is currently being restored to its former glory, and will then go on display. One of said owners, Bernie Cochrane, has very kindly been in touch with some fascinating photos, and here they are.
Back in 1985, the decision was taken to remove the Eye due to its rapidly deteriorating condition; apparently if they had left it in the pool, within 10 years the thing would have been wrecked beyond the point of redemption. So, out it came; the following pic shows it in the grounds at Kenwood, freshly removed:

Regular "readahs" will spot the blue attic window, also removed at this time, current whereabouts unknown:

Here, the moment when the Eye finally left Kenwood:

Being hoisted into place in Liverpool:

And in situ (Bernie on the left):

Lastly, here's Bernie reunited with it in a solicitor's office, recently:

Groovy. Bernie is currently trying to track down John's original sketch for the Eye, which apparently once resided in the collection of British DJ Mike Read, but is now also in the "Where Doth It Be?" file. Any readahs with information, please do get in touch.
More Eye to follow, at some point.
Thanks Bernie.

Hotel President: Russell Square, London.

2011-07-15T21:48:00.005+01:00

Oft overlooked (by me at any rate), but increasingly of interest (to me etc) is the President on (just about) Russell Square. Here they lived in the spring and summer of 1963, and, though they almost certainly moved about a bit, for at least a while ver lads can be pinned down to rooms circa 115/116, right at the end of a corridor on the first floor. There has been refurbishment in the interim, inevitably, but the rooms are still there in the same position, and available to be slept in by anyone with 100 pounds or so.
The reception area has changed a bit - new lifts, and the old desk completely removed to provide space for seating:

But it's still recognisably the same place, and wandering around the corridors, there remains a palpable air of "60s" something or other or something (or other). It's also the place where the following rather wonderful pis (that's a typo, clearly, but left in for reasons of childishness) was taken:

Lots of photos from the President period exist, but not too many "nows" from inside the rooms; any "readahs" who can help, at any point, do get in touch.
Cheers Piet.

Kinfauns: August, 1969.

2011-07-10T19:31:00.012+01:00

It's fair to say that all of the Beatles were more accommodating toward the "fannage" than was strictly necessary; indeed, ludicrously so by modern standards, which dictate that every Z-lister (and what a disgusting thing it is to live in an age where such an expression even exists) must, needs must, be accompanied by assorted goons to keep the fevered (and no doubt pished) masses at arm's length. Living The Dream, friends, living the dream.
John, possibly more than the others, was acutely aware of that old Faustian pact vis-a-vis fame/fannage/fetc. On the one hand he resented the daily invasions of his privacy that went along with being "Fab". But on the other, particularly post-"pot"/acid, he had mellowed to the extent of actively inviting "fannage" into his house from time to time, not snarling at them when they were there, and smiling benignly all the while. See the numerous examples on these pages. However, there were times when all of "Beatles" simply couldn't be arsed with it, and understandably so.
In August 1969, John and Yoko were living at Sunny Heights, having finally moved out of Kenwood sometime in the new year. They'd bought Tittenhurst, but were waiting to move in. Still the fannage came; in this case, one Barb Fenick, who joined the throng outside Sunny Heights in early August 1969 hoping for a meeting with the Lennon.
To this end she knocked on the door a couple of times. Cutty long story shorty, John's bearded visage appeared from an upstairs window, and told her to (and I both quote and split the infinitive) "Piss Off".
Undeterred, she headed for Kinfauns. No sooner had she gone for a stroll round the garden than George (looking remarkably, not to mention presciently, like Lemmy) appeared, and told her to, and I fetc., "Piss Off". The above pic captures that very special moment.
It's a simple anecdote, admittedly, but a superlative one; twice in a single day (though I'll bet there are many who managed four in a one-er).

Kenwood: in Wonderland.

2011-06-28T21:32:00.008+01:00

Jonathan Miller's Alice in Wonderland was broadcast by the BBC on December 28th, 1966. It's a safe bet that John was watching, given his love of the source material, and a cast filled with people he knew, such as Peter Cook, Leo McKern and Wilfred Brambell (not to mention the score by Ravi Shankar).
His opinion of it, however, I know not.

The film emphasises the absurd, chimerical qualities of Lewis Carroll's narrative, and presents a disturbed child's eye view of bewildering "adult" mores.

Alice wanders around in a literal dream, questioning both her own identity, and the house of cards qualities evident in the society she encounters. John, as ye must know, was at the height of his acid gobbling phase around this period, and the enervated, dark, funny if disturbing imagery must have struck a note in him.

It's perhaps of interest that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was written soon after. Also possibly noteworthy that John spent a great deal of money in 1964 and early '65 paying for Ken Partridge's interior design at Kenwood, only to rip most of it out at some later point, for some later reason.

Not that I'm suggesting anything, like.

Mendips: back garden, 1979 & now.

2011-06-28T15:00:00.005+01:00

You can, of course, now visit Mendips, and note for yourself the notably mock-Tudor view from John's old bedroom. One bit that remains off-limits (at least as far as an unaccompanied "shufti" goes), however, is the back garden. Above, a photo from circa 1979, showing the big tree there, upon which John once did squat, apparently.
From a slightly different angle, the same location these days:

The garden doesn't look much like it did back in the Mimi-era apparently (again), though there are currently attempts to put that right. I hope that a proper stroll round it is incorporated into the tour once that has been completed. Incidentally, a trip to the auld hoose is highly recommended, if you haven't already done so (and even if you have).
The tour, though a little on the short side, is excellent, and, best of all, you are given a few minutes at the end to wander round the house at will; John would, apparently (yet again), be very careful when going up the stairs at night, generally having come in a bit the worse for wear, not to wake Mimi by treading on those floorboards of a squeaky disposition: noting which these are, or humming a few bars of Slayer in the front porch provide considerable amusement.

Penny Lane: then unt now.

2011-06-14T20:53:00.024+01:00

I've long had it in mind to do an "appreciation" of the Penny Lane promo film, but the more I went into it, the longer it became, and the longer it became, the less sense it made, even to me. Thusly and thankfully, instead here are a few sundry bits and pieces on a theme of drivel about Penny Lane.
The film opens with a shot of John walking on the King's Road in Chelsea, at Markham Square; here's the same spot now:

He walks up and down what is a short length of pavement, probably in an attempt to convey John "on the street" (or in this case "Lane" though in fact it's a "Road" next to a "Square")(see what I "mean"?) observing the various "items" detailed in the lyric. Why John and not Paul? I don't know. Why this particular short stretch of the King's Road? Again I don't know, but Mary Quant's shop Bazaar was on the corner, as was the restaurant Alexander's, both frequented by the Beatles, so maybe it had something to do with that; somewhere John could hide between takes, possibly.
Here he is walking in the other direction, and again, ein now:

There's some messing about with horses etc, which has been covered on this blog at revolting length elsewhere, but here's something I've never seen explained: The naughtiest line in the song is, of course, the one about fish and finger pie. (I recently saw a Liverpool guide to Beatles sites attempting to pass this off as a reference to the local chip shop. Which in a sense it probably was. And in another sense, most definitely wasn't, as some of you may even have experienced.)
Ver thing is, at ver equivalent point in ver film, there are close ups of ver lads, three of whom are clearly saying something into ver camera, and judging by ver expressions on ver faces of ver lads, it may well be something related. I can say no more that that. Except, to say more than that, cutting film in the pre-digital age was a painstaking process; that bit of film is there at that point for a reason.
Right, Johnny?:

Riiight. A "potential" alternative to the above, given that related shots of various locales around Penny Lane itself feature prominently in the film, might have been the terraced house at 73 Lidderdale Road, in the Penny Lane area:

Any of you who have read Pete Shotton's amusing and informative tome will recall the scenes of youthful sexual misadventure involving John, Pete and their then girlfriends, which occurred in the then front room at this very address, the then home of Shotton's then girlfriend (then later wife) Beth. There may well have been fish (and then chips).
Moving on, the shelter in the middle of a roundabout was a common hangout for John and cronies during his yoot. It was later turned into a "bistro" (whatever that is - something to do with the 1970's, I gather):

Here's how it looks now (ie derelict):

There is movement, however; the day I was there the inside was being cleared:

The Barber showing etc etc etc, still there too, though no longer Bioletti:

Finally, finally, something of more interest: The Old Dutch Cafe; Pete Shotton worked (or possibly "worked" but let's give him the benefit of any doubt) here, and it was a regular stopping off point for the Beatles on their way home from gigs at the Cavern and elsewhere, mainly because it stayed open late and Pete would, I daresay, have given them stuff for free. The cafe was within grogging (later "grooving", then back to grogging, followed by mugging and now stabbing) distance of central Penny Lane, and, although long gone, somewhat remarkably, the sign remains:

Nice!
Now go about yer business.

Kenwood: more drive, 1967.

2011-06-01T18:21:00.003+01:00

More "fannage", in the drive at Kenwood, summer, 1967. "Fannage", I tell you. "Fannage".

Kenwood: sunroom, June 29, 1967.

2011-06-01T16:21:00.004+01:00

Yet another June 29 French seamstress pic, in the sunroom, of course. That makes five, so far, and surely not many more...

Southport Road, Scarisbrick: Water Werks.

2011-06-01T16:08:00.004+01:00

One thing not usually included in John's list of achievements is "labourer", and yet a labourer he was, for a whole month in 1959, at the none-more-prosaic Scarisbrick Water Works. Reason for leaving, amusingly, given simply as "Unsuitable":

Indeed so, I would have thought.

Kenwood: more front door.

2011-05-24T12:30:00.005+01:00

Another "interesting" shot emerges - John answering the door to a fan sometime in 1968. This must be Two Virgins era, possibly from the period just before Yoko and he moved to Montagu Square.
The above shamelessly filched from Miss Tammy, the below shamelessly filched from Meet The Beatles For Real:

Kenwood: more sunroom.

2011-05-24T12:20:00.005+01:00

A charming snap of Julian, on the fabled couch in the sunroom at Kenwood, probably circa late '66/early '67. This pic may well have been taken around the same time as the header image above. Or not. Note the rug. Or don't. (See labels below. Or etc.).
Thanks to the fabled Eric Nernie for submitting this.

Kenwood: living room - 16th June, 1965.

2011-05-24T11:56:00.006+01:00

On the above date, a "meeting" was apparently held in the living room at Kenwood to discuss Ringo's vocal contribution to the Help! album. The above pic shows the "discussion" reaching its climax, with Act Naturally the winner, upon which some form of revelry involving some form of dancing was engaged in:

Good old noble (other) Alf. This one's been on here before too, but here it is again, for reasons of etc:

Kenwood: yet more Nothing.

2011-05-24T11:38:00.002+01:00

Having stated categorically that no pictures exist showing a Nothing Box inside Kenwood...errr...here's a picture showing a Nothing Box inside Kenwood. This pic has been on here before, but cropped; the little blighter is there behind John in the uncropped version:

Also of "interest", given that this photo was taken in the library (aka the Den), is that the slightly wider perspective allows one to gain further clues to the reading material on offer. The only two tomes that I can make out are yer classic Shikshtiesh fare, ie For Your Eyes Only on the left, and something by Dennis Wheatley on the right:

A conceptual prize of Nothing whatsoever to any "readahs" who recognise any others.

Nothing Box: more nothing.

2011-04-20T08:37:00.003+01:00

As a little addendum to the Nothing Boxes - more John with same, captured in 1965, by photographer Brian Duffy. Duffy recalled that John had just come back from the US, where he'd had his teeth "done", which supports the idea that he bought them (the Nothing Boxes, not his teeth - that would be ridiculous) whilst in the States. Note: in the last pic he's started doing that weird thing with his tongue that he did - possibly as a result of having his teeth fixed. See my forthcoming four volume study "The Tongue Movements Of John Lennon: A Four Volume Study". I jest (lest there be any doubt).
Duffy further recalled that John was "just like any nice, normal, intelligent person." Wot no "antics"?!

Kenwood: Nothing Boxes.

2011-04-18T18:15:00.010+01:00

Maureen Cleave described it thusly: "In the sitting room are eight little green boxes with winking red lights; he bought them as Christmas presents but never got round to giving them away. They wink for a year; one imagines him sitting there till next Christmas, surrounded by the little winking boxes." For Peter Brown, it was this(ly): "Across one of the cabinet doors (in the sunroom) John had stuck an advertising sticker that said "Milk Is Good". On the top shelf was a set of black light boxes, twinkling silently, while on the table in the corner a green lava lamp slowly undulated."
And so it goes on... the Nothing Box is a must-have feature of any self-respecting description of Kenwood; as we've seen, John owned several, and liked them too, so the story goes, largely because on acid one can apparently think of nothing better than a box that blinks lights on and off at random until the battery runs out. Look the thing up on t'internet, and you'll be told that Magic Alex was the inventor; this was what first drew John to him, for reasons outlined above.
The question, as ever, is "How much of this is bullshit?" The answer, as ever, is "Probably a fair bit". John must have bought them (if Christmas presents they were) sometime in 1965, and possibly in (or from) the US; they were certainly on sale there, as the following advert proves:

Peter Brown (who manages to get at least two things wrong in the above quote) said that Alex invented a "light box" for the Rolling Stones stage show; I can't have been the only one to have read accounts of the Nothing Box over the years, and imagined something spectacularly psychedelic. Which it isn't. And it's clearly not suitable for drawing attention away from the prannying antics of Sir Mick Jagger. So Alex's light box and the Nothing Box are unlikely to be the same thing.
Curiously, of all the photos taken inside Kenwood, not a single one shows a Nothing Box.
Now, you're obviously thinking "Yes! I must have one!" But as far as I know, to do so you'll need to acquire a bent for at-home electronics, and then make yer own. Here's the schematic:

...and more details (and a completed one) can be found on the site of a Mr Mike Ellis HERE.
Interestingly, the Nothing Box wasn't the only such thing at Kenwood. In February 1967, John bought H. Garcia Rossi's Boite Lumineuse No. 19 (that's Light Box No. 19 to you and me, unless you are French), a canny investment:

Horacio Garcia Rossi was the key figure in the group GRAV, whose idea was to create art not for “the eyes of the cultivated, the sensitive, the intellectual, the aesthete or the connoisseur”, but rather to construct a new kind of universal art that could be appreciated by anyone with a functioning eye or two. Light was, therefore, the medium of choice. Also interestingly, if you read Hunter Davies's biography, largely constructed around at-home interviews conducted in 1967, the GRAV manifesto, applied to music (and ears), is almost exactly what the Beatles were espousing (though John, for one, had changed his tune a little by the end of the following year).
Anyway, here's one of Rossi's light boxes, though not the one John bought:

Here endeth the bullshit (for today). (PS If any of you crazy kids out there can actually make a Nothing Box (let alone a Boite Lumineuse), do write in.)

50 Pubs Associated With The Beatles:...

2011-04-16T14:10:00.003+01:00

No. 42: Childwall Fiveways Hotel. These days a Wetherspoons, the car park of this pub provided the venue for a famous portrait of Eppy plus "stable". The area is pretty much unchanged almost 50 years on:

The wall unhacked to bits by Japanese admirers, thus far:

I have it on good authority that these pics weren't taken in November '63, as is sometimes claimed, but rather on the morning of June 18th, ie Paul's birthday, and the day John took a shovel to Bob Wooler. Licensing laws back then restricted opening hours to 12 noon–2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m. It's possible that a pint or two had already been sunk when these pics were taken, and equally possible that so it continued. John was a notoriously bad drunk after more than a couple, and would lay into people verbally, and occasionally physically, as Bob could attest (though he never did). Still, it was all fun and games at this point:

Kenwood: summer, 1967.

2011-04-13T14:14:00.003+01:00

I said there would be more of these:

... and so there are. Speaking of the sunroom, which I wasn't, the virtual one is almost complete. I've had a preview, and, to use the parlance, it blew my (admittedly ravaged) mind. Check out the Beatles In 3D blog (link under Friends & Neighbours) for some updates, and watch this space.

Kenwood: more video - 2010.

2011-04-05T20:08:00.007+01:00

The latest from Joe Baiardi, showing the state of play at Kenwood towards the end of last year. Nothing internal, but plenty oot. The bits of most interest are (probably) at around 13.30 (a glimpse of the hitherto unseen area round the former garage side) and 14.30 (those steps are owld). The sounds, as regular "readahs" will know, are those of John (plus an occasional Richie) arsing around in the attic circa '66/7.
The new swimming pool is clearly a bit of a footsore, and the new windows are a poor idea. But I've said all this before, to no purpose beyond bleating into the wind.
Many thanks to Joe, as ever.

50 Pubs Associated With The Beatles:...

2011-03-22T11:27:00.014Z

No.44: The Grapes. Any such "survey" would be a tragic waste of time (errr...) were it not to include this place (and Ye Cracke, of course, of which more anon). Just down the road from the Cavern, and a regular stopping off point for all the Merseybeat bands, it also boasts the only picture that I know of to feature them en-piste in a British pub. How much the Grapes now resembles the hostelry of yore is a matter of debate; the exterior has been completely remodelled, and the corner where they supped is, in common with much else in "Mythew St" (to quote a pithy Woolerism), possibly over-Beatled:

According to the venerable Savage Young Beatles site, the pic in question is actually back to front, as are certain others on these pages (comments duly etceterad - but I can't be arsed doing anything about it). It should look like this (and note too the surviving section of wallpaper):

As I was sat ruminating on these and other matters of world import, a couple of locals came over for a look at the spot (known as the Royal Table, apparently. Yes, I know); having discussed it for a few minutes, one of them delivered his parting shot - "That sign should read 'Two twats once sat here'". Two? Hmmm. Moving swiftly on:

No.43: The White Star. Just off Mathew St, and the other Merseybeat locale, much frequented by ye-know-who, apparently. There is even a metal plaque to this effect just by the entrance:

Said back room, again, somewhat over-Beatled (and this is me saying that):

More anon, and 50 might not cover it.

Kenwood: Wired - Roger Manser reminisces.

2011-03-22T00:43:00.007Z

Always good to hear from someone who was actually there (and also good to get back to what this ridiculous blog is supposed to be about): Roger Manser worked at Kenwood as a Sparky in 1964/65, and here are his memories of that time, written specially for this ridiculous blog:

"I originally came from Somers Town which is between Euston & Kings Cross stations where I was born; now live in Cuffley, married since 1969 to Valerie, have one daughter & one son; have three grandsons by my daughter. I am now 63 semi retired.
Worked as apprentice electrician age 16/17, 1964/65 at John Lennon’s house, Weybridge for an Electrical Contractor - Mactric Electric Ltd, owned by James Mcaneny (now passed away, last year).
Mactric Electrics worked for main contractor H J Knights Shopfitters, who were at that time based in the Archway. They later moved to Brewery Road off the Caledonian Road and then to North Road again off the Caledonian Road, works mainly shopfitting and some large upmarket houses, This firm has also gone. Jim Knight who owned Shopfitters died in a car crash a few years ago; he had been retired long time.
I used to travel all over UK working in shop fitting.
I am now semi retired, have run my own Electrical contractors since 1971 - RGM Electrics.
Kenwood was redecorated and modified with a new Kitchen area which was dug out to make split level. I remember Paul McCartney who had stayed over night said to me, (came in here drunk last night and fell down that F------ hole) e.g. Kitchen area, Paul mixed with us like one of the lads, better than John, although John got on with one of the labourers and I believe he worked for John after we all had finished.
In this kitchen area in the wall was and old safe built into wall no key we had to break it open there was nothing in it silly things you remember!
John, Cynthia & Julian Lennon lived in flat above house whilst we worked on main house, John came and went e.g. tours ect he kept his self fairly private from us only on occasions would he be seen, there was a chauffer on call with hired Red Rolls Royce to ferry John & Cynthia about chauffer was always there 24hrs I cannot remember where he slept, but Rolls was useful for going to the café in village to get bacon rolls etc I use to go down in the back of the Rolls occasionally for errands.
I also remember Johns new Rolls Royce being delivered to house in 1965 on that day I was the one of the first persons to sit in the back of the Car it was black originally with thick black carpets this was the car that John had re-painted psycadelic at a later time
We completely Re-wired house to a high standard for those days I daresay it has been re-wired again.
I had to go into flat due to wiring for floor below so met up with Cynthia & Julian quite a lot, Julian at the time was crawling and I remember Cynthia wanting to go to the shops in the village so asked me to look after Julian whilst I was in the flat I played with him etc. this happed a couple of times. Baby sitting as well as Electrician!
I got on quite well with Cynthia she was a lovely Lady still is I should imagine.
Whilst up in the flat another time I could hear John & Paul playing music they were composing songs - what ones I do not know! They did not seem to mind me being there.
The carpet was laid through out the house and caused so much static at first we thought something was wrong with electrics till I put neon tester on the door Knocker and neon light up we then realised it was carpet, you charged up with static as you walked in those days was unknown Carpet was sprayed with anti static, strange I can remember pulling out main fuses as we thought something was wrong, also neon tester type screwdrivers were relatively new then.

At lunch & tea breaks we had a card school going and about 6 to 10 use to play 3 Card Brag some high pots were on the table, I remember John came down to watch us playing occasionally, I was also pretty lucky at cards too.
There was a few fans came to the house to see John we use to give them bits of old rubble floorboards etc as souvenirs but never took anything for myself, I was actually a Rolling Stones fan and into soul and
Tamla Motown and was out clubbing most nights as you did in the 60s and I was spaced out most of the time etc etc.
When it was cold use to take Fans in to the boiler room for a warm up!
I remember the Foreman carpenter who ran the job his name Len Murphy use to pick me up in the mornings near Mornington Crescent near Camden Town and then travelled to Kenwood in his car an Austin 1100 the car would be full with other workers we all shared expenses Len made a profit.
Because Weybridge was classed as a away job we got £1.00 a day expenses e.g. money for digs and because we worked 6days a week e.g. Saturday as well we got £7.00 a week tax free in those days as Iwas only earning about £6-7 a week it double my wages I was well off in those days only had to give Len half a crown for travel a day?
Most of the workers would have passed away by now I was the youngest working there at the time there was a plumber’s mate about year older than me named Sam?
There must be other workers out there somewhere.
There was a plasterer who was good with all the plaster mouldings etc he use to shoot Squirrels in the garden with an air rifle, he use to cut off tails and get 6 or 3 pence off the Council for them."

Many thanks to Roger for this (and there may even still be a few bits o' that very carpet for sale: see previous post).

Lady etc: Children At Your etc.

2011-03-19T23:49:00.002Z

Spiralling ever farther away from the ostensible premise of this nonsense, the last pics o' the lads presenting a unified front, "done" to promote Lady etc, children at her etc. John's muttonchops are a thing of:

Speaking of Kenwood, there is a whole universe of virtual interest about to appear, so try and contain yourselves in the meantime.

Abbey Road: August 8, 1969.

2011-03-15T18:51:00.010Z

Having achieved the, by that point, mildly improbable feat of all making it to EMI by around 11am, they decided to sit on the steps en masse for a bit, taking advantage of the rare summer weather, whilst photographer Iain Macmillan fiddled with his apertures.
These photos are new to me, and therefore I assume, in my swaggeringly insouciant fashion, new (possibly) to some of you too. A few other candid moments from that morning swill around on t'internet, and so let's add to those with these:

Thus, so legend has it, having sat their collective fill, at precisely 11.35am, out they strode onto that fabled zebra-crossing-of-dreams. (What is this fuc*ing drivel?) At around 11.34am, however, shortly before striding out onto that fabled zebra-crossing-of-dreams, Paul (and possibly John) bollocked Macmillan for not having fiddled with his apertures sufficiently, or something:

(Or not.) It's accepted that there were six shots en-zebra-crossing-of-dreams, in the following sequence; 1-3

And 4-6, with 5 being, clearly, the best, and thus, the sleeve:

Now. I don't think we can say there was actually a 7th, as this isn't quite a sleeve contendah, but I can say, with swaggering insouciance, that there was a point 5th:

So 0.5: note the relative position of the red vehicle compared with 1:

It's always (not literally - that would be ridiculous) intrigued me that these photos were taken whilst Manson's cohorts slithered (not literally - that would be ridiculous) towards Cielo Drive.
We have much to thank Linda McCartney for (and I am being serious for once), including these great photos, tracked down by Guus Limberger - and many thanks to him too.

Kinfauns: drive - 1967 & 2010.

2011-03-13T21:30:00.007Z

I managed to get almost everything wrong in the previous post on this topic, so it has been put out of my misery. (This incompetence was due to seven or eight reasons, downed, as usual, rather too quickly.) Plus, Guus Limberger has now found a bigger version of the above shot, and sent it in together with a couple more "nows".
So here's John's limo, and probably John, clearly leaving George's after a visit. It would be of some interest to be able to pinpoint a date. But I can't. (Beyond, obviously, sometime in 1967, and probably the summer.)
Below, the view facing back up the drive in 2010:

The entrance to the drive, also last year:

...and the entrance to the estate:

I'm going to lie in a damp cellar for a while. Many thanks again to Guus.

Liverpool: Mathew Street.

2011-03-12T10:09:00.006Z

Apologies for the swearing on these pages of late. Fuc*ing disgraceful. Moving on...to Mathew Street, probably the place most closely associated with them as a group (as opposed to them as individuals), and as such, largely demolished by Liverpool Council in the mid-70s. It's now uber-Beatled, of course, with a ludicrous number of references crammed into and onto what was once a smelly little street of fruit warehouses. Again, these grainy black and white images of them standing just outside the entrance to the Cavern at some point in 1961 are very evocative. The Cavern side long gone, and re-built, but the other side still there. You can pinpoint the exact location by comparing above and below:

Speaking of which, the most interesting thing about this end of Mathew Street these days isn't the re-built Cavern. Impressive though it is, the fact it had to be constructed facing the wrong way and deeper than the original (due to the weight of the new buildings above) rather spoils things for anoraks like me.
What's of greater interest is the fire exit - which, as happenstance would have it, is on the exact spot of the original entrance. Rather cleverly, they've put a life-size photo of the old entrance in situ:

The precise location was discovered by doing a "then and now" using this photo of someone or other hanging around in the old Cavern's doorway:

All well and groovy. Of interest up the other end is a couple of pubs, about which more to follow.

Liverpool: St Peter's Church field.

2011-03-11T21:47:00.008Z

On this little trip to the "Pool of Swearing", I heard some virtuoso "material" from quite a few, including me, and a gentleman who had just been caught in a downpour, entering Ye Cracke as I was on my way out, and fairly unhappy about his new damp status; a genuinely inventive display.
Anyway, I wanted to accomplish a few things, if "accomplish" be the right word. The main one was do the tour of Mendips, of which more anon. Amongst the others, bobbing on the surface of the swimming pool, the largest was, probably, to get a photo of the location of the stage from the famous St Peter's Fete photos.
Now. I've seen one or two other "then and nows" of this location taken in the churchyard, and had grave doubts. (Oh dear.) Somehow, I couldn't quite picture the curate of the day, astride a tombstone, shouting "Hey kids! Let's do the show right here!"
So, not the graveyard then. But where, in that case? It turns out to have been the field beyond the graveyard, which is now a playground-come-sports-field for the local primary school.
Now. In this country, hanging around primary schools, camera in hand, when you have no children, is deeply frowned upon. So I had to be quick, and I couldn't get right up to it, due to the crowd of irate parents that quickly formed. Still, I managed to get the following; the clincher is the roof of the building behind, still there all these years later:

I feel compelled to point out that the red arrows (not, clearly, the RAF formation flying outfit - that would be ridiculous) are meant to be pointing to the corner of the field, and not the large yellow duck:

Having been savagely beaten by the mob, I escaped back into the graveyard, where I got a sidey-on view of the stage (or the location of the stage), just over the fence:

Lovely stuff. Lest there be any "doot", at no point was I savagely beaten during my stay in Liverpool, and I "fookin" love the place.
Doffing o' the cap to Mark and his mate Dave, who worked it out.

Liverpool: Rosebery Street.

2011-03-10T19:54:00.003Z

These photos of the Quarry Men playing in Rosebery Street over half a century ago, at a party to celebrate the 550th anniversary of Liverpool receiving its charter from King John, have intrigued me since I were in t'short trackies.
I finally made it there the other day. Above, a poor quality scan from David Lewis' pretty, pretty, pretty good book about scratching the surface of Liverpool to see what's left. Rosebery Street in 1974: already shafted, in the 15 years or so since the street won some award or other for being unscummy on the 550th anniversary of Liverpool receiving its charter from King John, or something.
Here it is now:

Nothing left of the terraces: this area was levelled a while back. I reckon the "Men" probably played somewhere around the middle of the street. There were a couple of notable events this day: they had to take refuge in the house of the "celebration's" organiser (Colin Hanton's aunt), because some thugs from round the corner in Hatherley Street had decided to offer an instant review of the performance, via their fists. Whilst hiding out, John took the opportunity to smash Pete Shotton's washboard over his head, thus ending another brief tenure in the band. X doesn't mark the spot, but it's likely someone's front drive now.
So, nothing left then? Well, not quite. The back end of the aforementioned Hatherley Street is still there - a Quarry Man's eye view (unless there were yet more soon to be derelict terraced houses on the other side, which there probably were):

Hatherley Street itself still exists as was, although, again, it's mainly derelict. Still, this is what Rosebery Street must have looked liked back in the day... if you discount the dereliction:

Of the former Rosebery Street, nowt remains, except these stones, upon which the Quarry Men played:

For anyone thinking about a Beatling trip to the "Pool Of Life", I'd recommend Mr Lewis' book "The Beatles Liverpool Landscapes" - very interesting, and the man has impeccable taste in websites arf arf.

Kenwood: the carpet endures.

2011-03-07T22:08:00.005Z

John (and Ringo) both had insanely expensive fitted carpets...err...fitted, shortly after moving into their respective mock-Tudor piles. In John's case, the carpet (large, black) went into the living room, as seen in Cathy Kelleher Sarver's photo from 1968, and was, according to several of the tomes, a magnet (not literally - that would be ridiculous) for the sundry cats in residence, who used it as a convenient toilet. Delightful stuff, but so what I hear ye mutter, all this has been covered at inordinate length on these pages before.
Indeed so. However, here's the thing: when Cynthia eventually vacated Kenwood towards the end of 1968, she cleared the house, taking almost everything not nailed down and, in the case of the aforementioned carpet, also everything nailed down. She was aided in this task by the housekeeper Dot Jarlett, who was on the outs with John and Yoko for various reasons. To cut a long story short, Dot kept several mementos of her time at Kenwood...one of which was a section of the carpet. The carpet endures, and here it is:

There's more. This carpet now belongs to a Beatles collector who obtained it directly from the Jarletts, and he's decided to sell it piecemeal. This means that any "readahs" of the blog who would like a relic of Kenwood - ie a section of the very carpet that once sat in the living room, can do so. It's first come, first served. Anyone who would like more information about buying a bit should contact the owner direct at houserental481@hotmail.com

Of interest, I would have thought, cat shit and all.

Kenwood: early 1966.

2011-02-24T08:38:00.007Z

John back at the auld house, outside the front door, sometime around February or March 1966. No statues yet, or at least, not round his entrance. He's "rocking" much the same apparel as in Trinidad in January of that year (with the notable (and probably wise) addition of trousers):

All questions of schmuttah aside, the "new" pic of John at Kenwood is extremely interesting. Clearly, something happened to their songwriting in late 65/early 66... and the period from then until mid-1967 is miraculous. It's now impossible to hear their work of the time with the sensibility of the time, of course. The most you can do is try to recall how you felt yourself (missus) the first time you heard it. In my case, this was from a copy of Revolver filched from a neighbour, at the ripe age of 11 - my friends and I playing Tomorrow Never Knows repeatedly on a shitty little mono record player, and thinking "What in the name of Rick Astley is this?" (Well, that and playing Working Class Hero, because, thrillingly, it "featured" a bit of swearing.) I suppose I've never really gotten over it. (Piss off Greek chorus.) Anyway, there he is, having just got up, or having been up all night, this being when he was first knee-deep in they acidic tablets... but one thing is for sure, he's thinking about the next song, or the next album... and we know what they were, even if he doesn't quite.
A doff o' the cap to Meet The Beatles For Real for the pic.

Kenwood: attic plans, 1995.

2011-02-23T22:20:00.003Z

Clicking on the above will provide, as usual, a better view. By 1995, the attic had seen some renovation, most notably the installation of a small bathroom in what had been John's studio (room S1 above), and the same at the other end, with the stairs covered over, and a bathroom and storage space replacing what used to be yet another bedroom. The tank room, home to John's cats, had also been shortened to allow for a new staircase at that end. Compare with 1964, when John first moved in:

As has been seen, the kitchen and bathroom (Bath no. 3 above) were turned by John into his studio - at first for painting, but then for music, as the various tape-recorders, weird keyboards etc etc began to mount. Subsequent owners have used this space as a bedroom. Joe's video showed the whole area gutted, with John's studio space still intact, but all other rooms gone. Clicking on "attic" in the label cloud will lead to more (and probably too much more).

A Brief History Of Violence part 1: MDO.

2011-02-22T19:51:00.010Z

The eagle-eyed (and probably long-term unemployed) should be able to spot at least six Mad Day Out locations in the above St Pancras panoramathon, though I wouldn't recommend it. Better (and more pointless) to indulge in a bit of cud-chewing on the subject of the Mad Day Out itself, and its themes.
There are at least two (and possibly as many as ninety) themes running through the pics, the most obvious theme being the theme of the fighting theme:

Various people (but mainly lazy magazine editors) have noticed one or other of these pics before ejaculating thus: "Aha! An accidental but useful visual metaphor to illustrate the dissolution of the Beatles!" Maybe so.
However, it seems these pics were really a calculated move on the part of the Fabs: they asked Don McCullin to be principal photographer on the shoot precisely because he was best known for his war photos. Then, as now, as ever, war splatters on, to the horror of 99% of the human race (the ones not doing the fighting). Quoth Macca: "Don's a very cool guy. He is one of the great British photographers. We thought we've got to be the war. We'll provide the battlefield and it'll work. He'll just click into action."
Another theme, clearly related - John, "dead", twice:

(The same spot as above on the left, 43 years later, looking remarkably, and appropriately, like a barrow mound):

They pose outside the Coroner's Court (as above, except for the barrow mound bit):

John "pisses" on the church (and Paul's expression is funny - "Has he learnt nothing?!"):

And so on, and so forth. It seems from Paul's comments, and from what's there to be seen, that the Mad Day Out may have been another attempt to say something about their times, the times in 1968 being particularly dark, both intra and extra-personally (and I'm not sure if that's even a word... but you get the idea). How much more interesting if so (and it was pretty interesting to start with).
Thanks to Joe Baiardi and Tammy for "an" pic.

Twickenham Film Studios: 1969 & 2003.

2011-02-18T23:19:00.009Z

If the end of the Beatles was, as John characterised it, a "slow death", then here was where the patient really started vomiting uncontrollably. There had certainly been a fair bit of puke in the preceding months, and Ringo may have lost control of his bowels on a couple of occasions, but... no, I've completely lost control of this metaphor.
Let's begin again: Stage 1 at Twickenham had seen plenty of Fabs action over the years (HDN, Help!, the Intel promos, and, perhaps best of all, the promos for Hey Jude and Revolution), all of which yielded more or less pleasant memories/results. So it would have seemed like a reasonable idea to return for the Get Back sessions in January, 1969.
Unfortunately, partly due to the stripped back ethos behind the exercise, and partly because 3/4 of them didn't give much of a shit anymore, little effort was made to actually construct a set, and thereby ameliorate the ipso-facto depressive-fug-inducing effects of being stuck in what looks like a huge garage with no natural light, in the depths of a British winter, when 3/4 of you don't give much of a shit anymore.
Still, there they were for the fortnight in 1969 which broke the band (more or less). And here is how it looked in 2003: much the same.
In the film, you can occasionally see beyond the screen (which served as a set), to the bare studio walls beyond: the same corner 34 years later:

Here's said screen during the filming in '69, and the wall behind in 2003:

...and again, both sides:

Little wonder they got a bit narked, when you get a glimpse of the darkness beyond. (Take that as another stupid metaphor if ye must.)
I am indebted, as are we all, to Christopher Bourke for the very interesting 2003 pics.

Sunny Heights: July, 1976.

2011-02-17T11:45:00.003Z

A couple of photos of Sunny Heights, former abode of the "Schnoz", taken by Guus Limberger in the summer of 1976. Not sure who owned the place at this time, or how much reconstruction had gone on:

Many thanks to Guus for these.

Sandbanks: Poole, Dorset.

2011-02-17T11:15:00.002Z

Some photos of Mimi, taken in and around Sandbanks, and mainly dating from the 1970s.

Mini was usually good for an amusing quote or two about John. For example:"I've just quit reading the papers these days. Apple sends me his records, but I won't play them. And I've asked my friends not to tell me about them. The shameful album cover and that [erotic] art show of his. He's been naughty and the public doesn't like it, and he's sorry for it. Now he wants sympathy. That's why he's come out with all these fantastic stories about an unhappy childhood. It's true that his mother wasn't there and there was no father around, but my husband and I gave him a wonderful home. John didn't buy me these furnishings, my husband did. John, Paul, and George wrote many songs together sitting on the sofa you're sitting on now, long before you'd ever heard of the Beatles. Why, John even had a pony when he was a little boy! He certainly didn't come from a slum!" A pony, indeed. Also note the picture, obscured by camera flash, hanging on the wall below:

Mimi:"Everytime John does something bad and gets his picture in the papers he rings up to smooth me over. See that new color television? It was a Christmas present, but he had it delivered early. A big present arrives every time he's been naughty. I usually have a huge photograph of John hanging in the lounge. When he's a good boy, it'll go back up again!"
Errr...quite so.

Kenwood: Wood Lane and "ting".

2011-02-15T11:15:00.004Z

Blog "readah" D Aston had business in the St George's Hill area last year, and couldn't resist a visit to the titular pile. He also got a photo of the sign for Wood Lane, upon which Kenwood squats, though whether there was a sign there in the shikshtiesh I know not.
Further evidence of the work that's been going on in the house and grounds for the last couple of years, and strange to think that, although it's certainly Kenwood, none of the portion of the house visible here existed in John's time:

The photographer is standing on the exact spot once occupied by the gypsy caravan; compare with the pic HERE.
I wonder what they are up to on the site of the old swimming pool. Maybe Joe Baiardi's latest video will shed some light:

Thanks to Mr Aston for sending his pics in.

50 Supermarkets Associated With The Beatles:...

2011-02-15T10:58:00.003Z

No 50: Marks & Spencer, Marylebone Station. Right, this is getting absolutely stupid now. Nevertheless, if you ever find yourself in the aforementioned shop, buying sugar in one form or another, you might be surprised to realise that this is the very spot where the phone booth bit in the title sequence of A Hard Day's Night was shot. Or you might not.

50 Pubs Associated With The Beatles:...

2011-02-15T10:03:00.009Z

No. 48: The Shakespeare's Head. Oh go oooon then. This pub, on Carnaby Street, served as an evening opener for John on at least a couple of occasions in 1963, according to Tony Bramwell in the book what he "wrote".

No. 47: Pizza Express. Not even a pub. What a ridiculous parcel of nonsense this is. On a theme of nonsense, it doesn't get more so than John's "I am Jesus" malarkey. To recap briefly - John, up for 3 days on speed 'n' acid, as you do, finally and comprehensively jumps that shark by deciding he is Jesus. Convening a meeting at the Wigmore Street Apple office, he (sorry, He) informs the others that this is his "thing". Non-plussed, the Fabs proceed to go for a meal, where someone or other approaches the Messiah and says "You're John Lennon". The big C responds "Actually I'm Jesus." Said bloke: "Really? Well, I loved your last album. Thought it was great". Tittersome stuff, no doubt.
This anecdote first saw the light in Pete Shotton's excellent autobiography. Interestingly, he's recounted the tale on at least two other occasions, both of which paint events slightly differently. In Spitz's error-fest, it sounds like John was actually experiencing some kind of mental/nervous breakdown, rather than a ridiculous, but essentially amusing acid inspired palaver. In the version recounted in Spencer Leigh's also excellent Tomorrow Never Knows, they don't go to a restaurant post-revelation, but rather to the pub. (You can see where I'm going with this, can't you?)
Tragic hairy palmed obsessive that I am, I couldn't help wondering where this restaurant or pub might have been. One contender, if it was a restaurant, might be Genevieve, a French establishment a couple of streets away from the Wigmore HQ. According to the Beatles' London, they came here in 1966 during a break filming the promos for Paperback Writer. It's now...you guessed it...the above Pizza Express (mmmmmmmm pizza).
But what if it was actually a pub? Eh? Well...

No 46: The Devonshire Arms. Withing stumbling distance of the Apple office, and a regular haunt of the "moptops" in 1963, this has to be a contendah.

No 45: The Pontefract Castle. Again, within stumbling distance, on the same block as the Wigmore Street office, and, fairly crucially, there in the 1960s. At the very least, this must have seen the arses of Apple employees on a goodly number of occasions, possibly literally.
Finally, there are those who now think that the following familiar pic, taken outside Kenwood, was actually captured on the very day of the Jesus incident, and shortly before Yoko arrived for the Two Virgins evening. Close scrutiny may provide some supporting evidence. Ahem:

I'm off for a stiff drink.

Kenwood: more entrance hall.

2011-02-13T23:51:00.004Z

Always "n-n-n-nice" to see new pics o' Kenwood back in the day...and here are a couple hitherto not widely seen. These were taken, as regulah readahs will know, in the entrance hall (dark, "bok"-lined, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc...). Note the "boks":

...and, more interestingly, that guitar again...:

The pic of Julian was used (I think) to sell the table visible behind him at auction not that long ago. More on that, inevitably, to follow.
Huge thanks to Mark Jones for sending the pics.

Mercury Theatre: then & now.

2011-02-09T22:21:00.006Z

Above squats The Mercury Theatre as it was in the 1950s, and how it looks now in its present guise of unaffordable housing. Opened in 1933, the place was a small but venerable thesp-cranny, frequented by the likes of Eliot, Auden and O'Neill. But you don't care about all that, do ye? Oh no. And, I'm afraid to say, neither do I, because the most interesting thing about this place is, of course, that the Beatles fannied about with a parrot here during the Mad Day Out:

Having bade the bird and its wrangler a teary farewell, they proceeded to go berserk, smashing a sign off the wall and taking it outside, for some reason (or something):

The drainpipe remains:

...as do one or two other things.

More guff to follow, at some point (some of which may even be related to the ostensible subject of this blog).

Tittenhurst: then & now.

2011-01-26T10:12:00.008Z

In brief, Ringo sold it to Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan in 1988, who proceeded to spend a, frankly, atrocious amount of wherewithal on gutting the interior, adding a whole new wing, constructing a bomb-proof swimming pool (I shit ye not), and generally doing all the things that one is not really supposed to do to a Grade II listed building. (The High Court had to step in to stop him going further, apparently.)
Anyway, above - the house in 1969, a few months before John bought it, and the same view now: the area under the terrace has been turned into a room. Speaking of which, here's how the Imagine errr..."turf" (as featured in the video) looks these days:

...and how it looked in the titular film:

The balcony, where the final pictures of the four of them together were taken, is long gone; that portion of the house has been turned into a new wing, because 50 rooms (or whatever it was) isn't really enough, is it? Clearly not:

An internal (fairly obviously, though nothing would surprise me) staircase (the camel photo possibly not there in the Lennon/Starr era)(nor anything else):

Finally, that bomb-proof swimming pool, together with the one that used to be there. An outdoor pool is generally regarded as a sign of wealth in the UK, but the old one looks positively spartan compared to the cash-fest that's there now. One reaches it, naturally, via an underground tunnel:

The Sheik died a few years back, and Tittenhurst now stands empty for much of the year, though there is a small army guarding the perimeter to ensure scum like me don't get a shufti.
Many thanks to JammyEye for the pics.