Another bloody post about the attic. I was always a little confused reading accounts of this part of Kenwood: it supposedly contained an artist's studio (painting room), a recording studio, at least one set of living quarters (where John and Cyn lived whilst the house was undergoing its initial renovation) - not to mention the Scalextric room. This attic appeared to have more rooms alone than most houses I've been in. However, the plan makes it clear - by "attic" the books are really talking about the 2nd floor (as we would say in the UK) plus the loft. The area designated Bedroom Suite 5 here was where John's recording studio was. It was converted from a kitchen once he'd seen Paul's similar set-up at Cavendish Avenue in 1966. Bedroom 6 was a small living room in John's day, and there were two other bedrooms: That bathroom on the right is a modern addition. Also here, a 2008 pic from Joe showing the attic gutted - this area corresponds to bedrooms 6 and 7 on the '06 plan. Following all that? Thought not.
Alf Lennon's wife (then girlfriend) Pauline, lived in one of the 2nd floor rooms in late 1967, answering fan-mail on John's behalf. She remembers a very odd atmosphere in the house, and that John had, impressively, the worst table manners of anyone she has ever met. Thanks also to child of nature for one or two scans, whose own excellent blog can be found HERE.
The attic is actually on the third floor. The houses construction is actually like 2 houses attached together (one side with 3 floors and the other side by the pool with 2 floors). As you walk in thru the front of the house there is a set of stairs to your left which takes you up to the second floor. As you came up to the 2nd floor there would have been a mellotron (as Paul stated in the book "Many Years From Now") immediately to your right in a little nook in the corner, then you continue to walk up to the third floor attic which contained a large room in the middle (studio) and 2 smaller sized rooms on each end.
ReplyDeleteHi joe - yes in the UK we say ground, first and second, in the US you say first, second, third, so in the UK the third is the second...if you see what I mean
ReplyDeleteCompletely understood!!
ReplyDelete