Kenwood: late 1990s.

There has been a veritable glut o' Kenwood shiznit turning up of late, and let's add to that glut with these, taken circa 1998 by Nick Cowburn.
Above and below, so far, so familiar:



However, round the other side and the place is looking almost derelict. Note the boarded up windows, and unsightly pile of "stuff":



More unsightlitude, and the last stand of John's pool. Shortly after this, the whole thing was demolished to make way for...err...another pool facing in a different direction. Oh to have too much money:



Having said that, it does seem to have fallen into a state of some disrepair:



Then unt then:



Looking back towards the sunroom; a familiar spot for photographers down the years:



This bit entirely new, next to said sunroom:



And a final view, somewhat overgrown:



Many thanks to Nick for allowing these to be used here. He also got some photos of Kinfauns (also on its last legs at that point), plus some video footage, all of which shall go up immediately. BY THE WAY - anyone else here in Blighty see Yoko on Jonathan Ross this evening? Fellow guest Vin Diesel seemed to say at one point that he was renting a house in St George's Hill "next to Yoko"...but I wasn't really paying attention, so maybe I misheard.

Kenwood: 26/2/1967.

Four more from Lizzie's Kenwood file, and fer once none o' my yap.
Above, the master bedroom en-suite at sunset.
Below, psychedelic vomit on the front door:



Kitchen window:



Cattus:



There are various other random shots which I'll put up here in the coming weeks, and so another huge thank you to Lizzie for her generosity.

Kenwood: summer, 1967.

More Lizzie, and this time in colour. Most of these clearly taken in summer, and the gate remains open to all comers.
Two of the caravan, the left by Lizzie, the right from her collection, but snapper unknown (get in touch if it's you).
Quite splendid:



Two of the den end; circa, respectively, March and June 1967:



Kenwood, obscured by foliage:



Innareshtingly, most of the above may well date 26th June 1967, ie the day after Our World (and 3 days prior to the Leslie Bryce Kenwood session).
Fantastic "stuffs" - thanks Lizzie - further to follow.

Kenwood: 19/2/1967.

Lizzie's first visit to Kenwood was on Sunday 19th February, 1967, and here are some of the photos from that very day. To begin at the back, garage/sunroom/dining room, above.
Note the bird table/hat, soon to re-appear in the garden:



The front door. What's "interesting" here (no, really) is the paint job.
Regulah "readahs" will recall that the last load o' pics, dated 21st January 1967, revealed the door still in its original state. Pete Shotton, in his memoir, recalls arriving at Kenwood one Saturday night to find John and Terry Doran "spray painting the front of the house in psychedelic day-glo colours", after which he is ushered in to the house and introduced to "Magic" Alex Mardas for the first time.
Thus, the emergence of the Greek "wizard" can be dated to the early part o' 1967 (and it's another example of John's "Winter o' Lovin'" mind-set - spray paint, flying saucers, force fields etc., etc.):



The den/library:



Garage. Note the presence of Cyn's Porsche 911:



Blah:



As far as I know, the current whereabouts of this car are a mystery. I'm also not sure if any photos showing the license plate have surfaced before; hard to make out, but I reckon that reads GAN 7E, registered (as a quick on-line search reveals) between January and July 1967 in West Ham, London.
Anyway, if the car still exists, it should be traceable by someone who can be arsed (ie not me):



Finally, the living room exterior, and the first decent photo of the equally exterior entrance to that room:



These black and white pics are lovely (stuff), but, perhaps appropriately, things are about to get colourful...

Many thanks yet again to Lizzie.

Kenwood: 21/1/1967.

Lizzie arrived in the UK mid-February 1967; shortly before that date, her friend Denise Werneck made the journey out to St George's Hill to take some photos, on a kind of Lizzie-related recce. Thus, and "intereshtingly", a date attaches to these pics, that date being the date of the 21st of January, 1967 - a Saturday, date fans.
The preceding two had seen the Beatles at Abbey Road, making substantial progress on A Day In The Life (with the following taken on Thursday 19th):



But now it is Saturday, a brief consolidating pause has been called to the Pepper sessions, and here we are. The first thing to note is how every curtain remains resolutely drawn. Was there anyone at home? Quite likely, I reckon, as the pattern was often to head out "clubbaging" post-session, and with a few days rest hoving into view, and some solid work laid down, a spot of celebratory "Class A's" may well have been in order. (Or, as ever, not.)
If so, the residents are inside sleeping it off, as Denise covers the house from all angles.
The other point of some vague interest is that the sheer gloom of a British winter is well represented here; even Pepper's biggest detractors wouldn't characterise it as a gloomy record - quite the opposite, in fact. Its forever association with the long, hot Summer o' Lovin' hardly needs repeating, yet the main thing that strikes me about these photos is how this sparkling work was actually recorded during the dank, drab chill of the firstly aforementioned season. Timing always was one of their strong points, and never more so than here.
Anyway...the area round the side of the garage, overlooking the pool. Note the swing, and the presence of ubiquitous reconstructive material, including mulch for the garden:



Next, the front door, still free of sickly paint job (though not for much longer, as we will see) and porch:



Living room, bedroom etc:



Finally the sunroom, and adjacent steps:



Next up, February 1967, and Lizzie's first visit to Kenwood. Huge thanks, once again, to her (and Denise, o' course).

Kenwood: swimming pool, 1967.

Lizzie Bravo (who needs no introduction) has a large cache of previously unseen Kenwood pics, taken between January and the summer of 1967. Being the generous soul that she is, permission has been granted to share them on here; so, as a little "appeteaser", 4 shots of the pool. The above was taken in January of the aforementioned year, whilst the other three must date from early summer (judging by the foliage):



These were all scanned straight from Lizzie's original prints, taken using her (obviously) very-much pre-digital camera, and the old technology lends many of her black and white shots a particularly crepuscular air:



As regulah readahs will know, the pool was built (not literally) by John, and demolished in the mid-90s to make way for not a great deal:



Many more to follow soon(ish), including some with date attached.

Thanks to Lizzie!

Kenwood: July, 1966.

July, 1966: England is convulsed by World Cup "fever". (Or was it? The lack of an all-pervasive media at least seemed to mean that choreographed hysteria, a necessary adjunct to any major sporting event these days, wasn't present. But I digress.) (A pedagogical friend of mine maintains that there are 2 types of teacher; the "...and now for something completely different" type, and the "...but I digress" type. Not that I'm claiming any educational content to these witterings. God, no. But I digress.)
July, 1966: England is moderately enthused by World Cup "interest". The Beatles are girding their collective loins for the following month's U.S. tour, having just suffered a bruising during the Filipino debacle. John, apparently, is up to his third eyeball in acid, and has taken to leaving the heavy wooden gate at Kenwood open, allowing Ver Fannage to wander hither and, moreover, thither at will. And here we have a family group doing that very thing, whilst, luckily, recording their visit with a few wonderfully evocative snapshots.
So, above, the aforementioned gate, very much open. Below, the former location of that Help! boot, heading up the drive:



And again:



A random spot in the grounds:



In front of the den, and first floor bathroom, this part of the house almost unchanged to the present day, as regulah readahs will know:



The front door, Lennon knocker very much in place. Presumably, having got that far, they'd have given it a go, but whether there was any response I don't know:



The familiar canopy:



And again:



On to the garage; note the presence of the pre-decorated Roller, and John's Mini Cooper. He had other cars, as did Cyn, but the presence of these means it's tempting to picture him in, but not answering:



And another:



Finally, the most intriguing shot. I can't really place it, but note the presence of wood on the stairs, there to facilitate the use of a wheelbarrow:



Many thanks to the people in these pics for giving permission to have them on here, and to Lizzie Bravo for sorting it all out.

Kenwood: more August, 2012

More new shiznit. The kitchen has been re-done (and, though it isn't evident from this angle, presumably retains the old front door, moved during the 90s):


The rebuilt sunroom is the same as before. Nothing much to see here:


Except...woah! On the very spot where John's beloved old couch sat, now sits something similar:


Proof of something or other on the part of the owner? Co-incidence? (But then, as we should all know by now, there's no such thing as co-incidence.)
Moving on to the first floor; directly above the dining room, and originally a bedroom, this has been converted to an en-suite for the adjacent master bedroom. Nothing remains here from John's time, apart from the floorboards and the window:


The master bedroom during the 1960s, and, after years where it served as a bathroom following conversion in the '90s, the master bedroom again now. It's a bit bigger than before, as there used to be a corridor here which has been co-opted to provide more space. The very spot where the famous photo of John plus bear was taken:


Out to the garden, and a contemporary view from John's perch (see posts passim):


The lower wall has been substantially rebuilt, though I'd guess the outer sections are the same, and that parts of certain features remain:


A bit more to come at some point.