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.

Kenwood: August, 2012.

Kenwood is back on the market, and with it the chance to assess the latest post-renovation incarnation.
New windows, and substantial landscaping "pokery":


The entrance hall, and the first time I've seen the staircase, which has survived since the house was built circa 1913:


This whole area, once part of the kitchen, has been opened out to create more space:


The living room: original wood panelling still intact, as are the fireplace and the door through to the dining room, but the roof beams have gone:


Through to the dining room, which remains fundamentally the same as ever, decor notwithstanding. Note the door leading to the sunroom/kitchen area:


On the other side of the living room is the small sitting room, again recognisable, despite the new window and door:


The view from the sunroom, down to where the covered swimming pool now does squat at the bottom of the garden:


Asking price? 15 million pounds. It should be remembered that Kenwood has no listed status, and whoever buys it would, in theory, be able to "do a Kinnie" (ie demolish it in order to build another, even bigger house), something happening more and more often on St George's Hill these days. Which is slightly worrying, I suppose.
More to follow.

West Malling: more then & then & now.

As many as one people have written to ask where exactly in Kings Hill the MMT hanger stood. This, o' course, was the scene of the climactic Yer Mama Should etc. sequence in the titular film, but despite the excellent illustrations in The Beatles' London, pinning down its former location proved tricky; virtually nothing now remains of West Malling airfield, and, as stated in the aforementioned 'bok':"...the new roads and buildings have obliterated any sense of MMT orientation".
Well almost...but not quite. There is one surviving landmark - the old control tower, and this, together with the above newly found pic, allows a more or less accurate placing of the 'anger (should anyone care.)
There were actually four hangers at West Malling. The pics above and below were taken with the MMT hanger behind the photographer, but crucially (and that really isn't the right word) the control tower can be seen above on the right. This one is to the immediate left of the above (clear as mud, but let's plough on):


An overview - the arrow marks the spot:


This 'then & then' again shows the location - the hanger in these pics isn't the MMT one:


Had the photographer turned around, however, they'd have got the following view - the "correct" hanger (and another 'then & then'):


The MMT hanger location can thus be ascertained. The car park on the right is (more or less) the spot where John and George's vehicles can be seen in the first two pics above, the arrows point to the control tower, the circled portion corresponds to the '67 fan photo, and scanning left shows what now squats where the very hanger once...errr...also squatted, namely Queen Street in Kings Hill:


There are a number of excellent on-line resources celebrating the history of West Malling airfield (and lamenting what has become of it), and lots of interesting pics. For example these, taken on the other side of the hanger seen in the first two pics above, with the one on the left circa WW2:


So now ye know.

Kinfauns: 1980s unt nau.

John Paul Zuni (winner of etc.) has very kindly sent in more images o' the Beatle Belt circa 1980s. And so, without further etc., to Kinfauns.
At that point, the (dare I say it) iconic porthole windows, of John's First Trip renown, remained intact, in common with much else. Rumour has it that they were one of the few bits to have survived the demolition, and this contemporary pic (plus inevitable "then") seems to confirm that:


Except...they look much further apart these days. So the round panes are the same (after all, why not save 'em if you are going to maintain the porthole theme?), but the wall is new, and I suspect this pic means that there really is nothing left beyond a bit of glass. (Even disregarding the considerable history, Kinfauns was quite an elegant bungalow, though arguably somewhat tainted by the addition of various bits and pieces over the years. The house which replaced it, however, seems to have been designed by someone dividing a page in four and then giving young children some crayons and a quarter each. I don't blame the owners, I blame the council for letting them do it. But anyway...)
Back to the halcyon 1980s (good God):


George's John mural long gone, as too was the "crossing":


Of course, it was Harri who designed the pool which was quite guitar-like in shape:


Another vaguely interesting point: note the multiple alterations for which George was responsible - and also the way that stylistic themes were kept intact, even if sections of the original structure (such as windows) weren't maintained:


Then compare that with the current portholes; the older I get, the more I think there is no such thing as coincidence.
Should you wish to see more photos of the contemporary house, and read the owner's reasons for destroying Kinfauns, then go HERE.
Many thanks once again to John Paul (winner of etc.).

3 Savile Row: basement.

Not that you'd know at first, second or third glance, but the above is a photo of the basement room at 3 Savile Row, circa 1915 and the very spot where the middle third of LIB was filmed. I recently found a fascinating antiquarian publication by the then owner of the house, Basil Dighton; said tome includes a history of number 3, plus 15 photos of the interior.
It's been surprisingly hard to match most of these to images of the Apple incarnation, but this one I've managed, mainly because a couple of obvious features survived further renovation, namely the fireplace:


...and the wooden roof beams:


The book is in a bit of a state, having nothing much left by way of a spine, and also being so dried out that the paper is beginning to crumble. Even scanning the above pic has led to considerable damage, but I will try and scan more as and when I can. And you try, as ever, to contain yourselves.

Kenwood: '80s exterior.

John Paul Zuni has sent another small piece of the puzzle (if puzzle it be). The sunroom circa late '80s. Clearly the same structure that John built, minus the awning, and with a bit of black paint:


I'd now say the early '90s one is also definitely John's original structure, but with a brick roof and proper fireplace added:


More (but other) late '80s awning "action":


Many thanks to John Paul (winner of Most Appropriate Contributor Name 2012.)(Unless John Paul George Ringo should submit some shizzle before the new year.)
And whither the latter internal pics which must exist, somewhere?

Kenwood: sunroom - December, 1968.

It's been a truly dreadful fortnight, but life, apparently, trundles on, and with it this nonsense, I suppose. Which is possibly the gloomiest sentence I've ever typed.
Anyway. A splendid December '68 sunroom shot, found by Lizzie, and forwarded here.
Not sure who the others are, but the beardie looks quite Lennon-ish himself.

Apotheosis: December, 1969.

In December 1969, John and Yoko had another crack at Apotheosis. This time, they settled on the medieval village of Lavenham in Suffolk:


The Market Square is pretty much unchanged:


Apparently, Lavenham was chosen on the recommendation of friends, though it's perhaps no coincidence that the witch burning scene in the 1968 (non - see comments) Hammer production Witchfinder General also used this location. The BBC's 24 Hours: The World Of John And Yoko doc shows the filming of the pair's latest opus (mainly huddling in the snow waiting for the balloon to inflate):


They didn't return to Tittenhurst that night, but rather opted for the Offord Suite at the Bull in Long Melford. On the right is a contemporary view:


24 Hours shows them being, ahem, woken the next morning:


John, in time honoured fashion, greets tea and camera crew with the traditional "twa fingers o' welcome":


Finally, off they scoot in the auld EUC 100C:


The Offord Suite can be had for 130 pounds per night, including breakfast, should ye ever be in the vicinity and in need of a Beatle related etc.


Thanks to Gary at the Bull.

Cavendish Avenue: more dome etc.

Apparently it's someone's birthday. Here are 3 Cavendish Avenue shots which I'd never seen before, together with a spot o' context. They were originally in an issue of the Observer magazine published in 1969, though the pics clearly date from earlier.
Above, Sir Fumbs admires his newly installed meditation dome (still there, though now containing Groucho Marx's old bed).
Below, Macca, sporting his MMT getup, looks out over the garden:


And, finally, in said garden surrounded by his Alice In Wonderland statues, later Ballad Of John And Yoko-ised:


Extrinsic affections and signalizations. Or something like that.

Non-WABRAD: 20th December, 1974

John and (mainly) George, interviewed in George's Manhattan hotel room (apparently) on 20th December 1974 (again apparently); broadcast the following day on NYC station KHJ AM.
I think the tape is a little slower than it should be - or else something has made George sound particularly lugubrious (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Relations were a little spiky by that point, as can be heard, though there is an amusing moment when John asks (referring to Ringo) "Who was the other one?" and George replies "Bert". I need not explain, I trust.
Was this the last time the two met face to face?
Thanks to Lizzie for the nod.

Kenwood: more cupboard.

The cupboard is currently on view at Christie's South Kensington branch, and, of course, I couldn't resist heading down for a shufti. The staff are extremely helpful; photos allowed, as was opening it up and poking about, missus:


I asked about the vendor: naturally, they can't divulge identities, but they did say that it came via a friend of the housekeeper at Kenwood. I'd guess Dot got it when Cynthia cleaned the place out, and then passed it on to her mate.


The interior shows some paint and the holes used to fix it to the wall. Riveting:



Pleasingly, they have left it entirely "as is", including cobwebs, spider corpse and, intriguingly, some flakes of tobacco on the lower shelf:


6-800 pounds seems a bit low to me. Having said that, there's a recession on, so who knows?