Kenwood: latest views, part 1.

Joe Baiardi has sent in some more shots of the house, taken during his recent trip to England-land, and these are quite revealing as to the latest state of play. First up, the front door; no major changes to the house itself - or, at least, no further changes beyond the major ones undertaken in the mid-1990s. The comparison shots are from 1968, above and below - what is vaguely interesting (or not, as always) is the re-appearance of statues around the entrance:


The tree, evident in many fan photos, where-in a generally dishevelled John is prodded out to converse/strike a pose with ver fanz in the vicinity of his entrance (missis), is now gone, having been replaced with a younger version:


I'm pretty sure the old one was still there recently; to be fair, it may well have had to be removed. Old trees in close proximity to houses are generally a bad idea. As Sepultura might have advised. Yet, it's another bit of the auld place now gone.
So much of this blog catalogues the gradual chipping away of Kenwood over the years, that it's "nice" to be able to report a bit that appears to have survived. I hadn't noticed before, but a portion of the (dare one say it) vaguely iconic pillars from the Lennon-era remains, embedded in the extended entrance that was put in during the 90s:


More to follow, on similar themes, inevitably. Many thanks to Joe for having the chutzpah to go and take the photos, and the generousity to let the rest of us see them.

Kenwood: circa June, 1968.

Tis the Brunts! (Apparently.) Mr and Mrs Brunt were haulage contractors to John and Yoko, last seen on these pages proving good to their job description by hauling the caravan from Dorinish to (probably) Tittenhurst.
And here they are again with unknown others, outside the front door at Kenwood, posing in and around John's white Roller. You can see the entrance to the big garage on the left, the other end of which overlooked the swimming pool.
Dating this is a bit tricky; it's obviously not December, 1968, when John and Yoko were extensively photographed making their last stand at Kenwood, following several months chez Starkey at Montagu Square.
So I'd go for (circa) June of the same year, around the time that Smile and Two Virgins were filmed in the grounds, and just before the move to Ringo's Marylebone maisonette. From the home movies shot on the day of filming, it's clear the weather was more than mild enough for short sleeves.
Placing the above pic next to one of the many fan photos taken here gives an idea of the whole perspective:


The other point worth noting is that the area to the right was very likely the venue for the Rubber Soul cover shot:


Even this bit of Kenwood hasn't managed to escape the ungainly hand of renovation; the wall has been rebuilt, partly as a result of constructing a whole new garage in the mid-1990s.

Much gratitude goes again to Dennis Toll for these.

Kenwood: circa early 1968.

Always interesting to see a new Kenwood fan pic, even if it doesn't show any fresh detail. John assumes his customary position, to the right of the front door; probably taken early '68, just before India, judging by the mutton-chops and attire.
(A couple of pics are on the way showing the area outside the entrance in a bit more detail, also circa 1968. Try not to do anything silly under the weight of your excitement, Brunt fans.)
More new shots of the other "Beatle Belt" homes, from the same collection, can be seen on Meet The Beatles For Real (link under Friends & Neighbours).

Thanks to Mr Sileo for his correctional facility.

Ken Partridge plans: 1964, part 4 - entrance area.

The final section of these 1964 Ken Partridge plans - and the reason they were filed; to get planning permission for the entrance canopy, familiar from many fan photos taken just outside the front door.
Ron de Bruijn has sent the following shot, which gives the best view of this area thus far; note the Sgt Pepper cutout of Stuart Sutcliffe has found its way to Kenwood:


I've previously questioned whether the familiar shots of John and Julian sitting in the bath-chair were taken in the entrance hall, mainly because the following fan shots, taken a good 6 months or so apart, show identical details which the bath-chair photos don't share. However, the Partridge plan makes it clear why - the entrance hall was quite spacious, and so the area covered in the bath-chair photos cannot be seen in these pics:


Instead, the bath-chair shots were taken in the far corner:


Thanks again to Ron for sharing his great archive.