J. W. Lennon, Esq., M.B.E., Kenwood, Wood Lane, Cavendish Road, St George's Hill, Weybridge, Surrey.
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Kenwood: kitchen & interview, 1969.
John in the kitchen at Kenwood, circa late 1968/early 1969. This comes from an interview in the Daily Express, published on the day of Paul's wedding - March 12, 1969. It's the first glimpse of the Lennon-era cooking area (ripped out in the mid-1990s, and now a connecting hall). The central raised hobs can be seen, as in the 1964 Partridge plan:
The interview also mentions a portrait of Queen Victoria, thus confirming this pic as being from the breakfast terrace after all:
And the interview itself; "John Lennon hates his superbly ponderous Tudor house in Weybridge. He and Yoko plan to move to a contemporary glass job nearby." Not Tittenhurst, obviously.
The clipping further contains yet more evidence that Cynthia and her mother stripped the place bare:
Many thanks to Ian Drummond for sending this in.
I wonder if John's attitude to Kenwood changed? At the time of this interview, he was probably anxious to sever his links to the past but - from the vantage point of the mid-seventies - I wonder if he looked on it as the place where he truly connected with his mojo?
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finally landing a photo of the kitchen, that's huge for you. Pity John comes across as an 'A' mean arrogant ass in this interview, typically heartless towards Cyn, could he have not been gracious in victory?.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to read something from so early on John & Yoko, I like how they don't quite have their stories straight. Apocryphal tales in the making (with a little help from a shit newspaper of course):
ReplyDelete"She's short, not small, SHORT!"