Kenwood, St George's Hill

Located on Wood Lane, off Cavendish Road, Kenwood was built in a mock-Tudor style in 1913, and was originally called The Brown House.[2] The footprint and gardens cover 1.5 acres (0.61 ha), of which—under the rules of the building scheme—the house must occupy no more than one fifth and the plot may not be subdivided into more than one home. It was designed in 1913 by architect Theophilus Arthur Allen, who had been commissioned by local man Norman H. Johnson.[3] Allen employed a local firm called Love & Sons in the construction of Kenwood.[3] The hill was divided into lots around the Weybridge Golf Club, which was designed by Harry Colt in 1912.[4] Many of the original houses on the estate were built by master builder Walter George Tarrant, whose firm constructed Kenwood's original external garage c. 1920 (it was demolished c. 1995).

John Lennon bought the house on 15 July 1964, on the advice of the Beatles' accountants, Walter Strach and James Isherwood.[5][6] Cliff Richard and Tom Jones had earlier bought homes on the St George's Hill estate.[7] Though reportedly not liking Kenwood (describing it as a "stop-over" on the way to something better), Lennon spent £40,000 (were it cash for ordinary expenditure equivalent to £862,000 in 2021)[8] on renovations, reducing its 22 rooms to 17, landscaping the grounds, and building an outdoor swimming pool, constructed by a local skilled tradesman, Fred Borley.[9] Much of the initial decoration was left to interior designer Kenneth Partridge, whom Lennon employed after being impressed by his design work at a lavish party held by Beatles' manager Brian Epstein to celebrate the Beatles' departure for their first tour of the United States.[10] However, when Partridge had completed his work, Lennon and then-wife Cynthia immediately made a number of further alterations which better reflected their taste.[11] Cynthia's mother was given an allowance to fill the shelves of the house with antiques and antiquarian books, and a heavy sliding wooden door was installed at the gate entrance to keep out fans.[12]

Kenwood has three floors. On the ground floor during the Lennon period the front door opened onto an entrance hall, wherein Lennon placed a suit of armour and a gorilla suit. Across the hall was a large living room, which had black carpets, two 18-foot sofas and a marble fireplace.[13] To the left of the hall was a toilet, and through the living room was a dining room, where purple velvet wallpaper was put up.[14] Adjacent to the dining room, at the back of the house, was a small sunroom. This was decorated with various pictures, caricatures and stickers, such as the one from Safe as Milk (the 1967 debut album by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band) and one advertising the Monterey Pop Festival.[15][16] Photos published by The Beatles Book Monthly show the shelves of the sunroom filled with articles such as a large, ornate cross, a Mickey Mouse doll, and a mortar and pestle, reportedly used by Lennon to mix various combinations of cocaine, amphetamine, barbiturates and LSD.[17][18] There was also a yellow sofa or chaise-longue upon which Lennon would spend much of his time. This was a present from his aunt Elizabeth Smith (née Stanley), also known as Mimi.[19] Behind the sunroom was the split-level kitchen where state-of-the-art appliances were installed, so complex that a tutor had to come and give the Lennons lessons in their use.[20]

Completing the ground floor was a smaller lounge, and a large garage. The main staircase to the upper floors was situated in the entrance hall. The house had six bedrooms, with five on the first floor. The giant master bedroom featured a huge double bed, white carpets and an en-suite bathroom complete with sunken bathtub, shower, Jacuzzi and 'his and hers' wash basins.[21] Lennon wanted the guest bedrooms to contain works of art by students of the Liverpool Art College.[22] In particular, two drawings by late Beatles' bassist Stuart Sutcliffe were hung, for what Lennon described as "sentimental reasons".[23][24] The first floor also had a study. On the top floor was the attic, which Lennon claimed as his own, painting the ceiling one bright colour, then changing to another when the paint ran out, and installing most of his musical equipment there.[24] Outside the house, seen to the right when looking down from the sunroom, lay the swimming pool. In 1967, Lennon suggested a mirrored bottom for the pool; being advised that this would be not only impractical and expensive, but potentially dangerous to swimmers, he settled for a large eye mosaic set in the side.[25] The mosaic was based on the Eye of Knowledge, which was part of the teachings of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.[26]

As Lennon and Cynthia were getting divorced, it became clear that Lennon did not wish to keep Kenwood, and Cynthia could not afford to maintain it on her own, so it was sold in December 1968, for a reputed £40,000 (equivalent to £738,000 in 2021).[1][61] to Bill Martin, writer of songs such as "Puppet on a String" and "Congratulations".[62] Kenwood has had a succession of owners, and some major renovations. The interior now little resembles the house that Lennon lived in. The sunroom has been completely rebuilt. The exterior and grounds are similar. After being displayed at the Liverpool International Garden Festival in 1984, the psychedelic eye mosaic was unclaimed, and left in a field. It was rediscovered and restored by Tom Lorimer, a laboratory technician at the Liverpool John Moores University, to be displayed at the Museum of Liverpool Life.[63] Items from Lennon's Kenwood period have also appeared for auction, including towels and cutlery, a caviar jar, and the table that sat in the sunroom.[64] Lennon kept the Kenwood house sign after he left, but gave it to Andy Eccles, a gardener at Tittenhurst Park, in 1972. It was sold for US$20,400 in 2003.[6] In October 2006, Kenwood went back on the market, initially seeking up to £150,000 more, was sold three months later for £5.8 million.[65] It has been claimed each owner after the Lennons has sold it owing to divorce.[38][66]

• 251 Menlove Avenue
• Tittenhurst Park
• The Dakota

• Brown, Peter; Gaines, Steven (1984). The Love You Make. Pan. ISBN 978-0-330-28227-7.
• Coleman, Ray (2000). Lennon – The Definitive Biography. Pan. ISBN 978-0-330-48330-8.
• Davies, Hunter (2002). The Beatles. Cassell Illustrated. ISBN 978-0-304-36264-6.
• Giuliano, Geoffrey (1997). The Lost Lennon Interviews. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-6470-9.
• Giuliano, Geoffrey (2005). Revolver: The Secret History of The Beatles. John Blake. ISBN 978-1-84454-160-7.
• Goldman, Albert (1989). The Lives of John Lennon. Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-553-17542-4.
• Kindersley, Dorling (2004). 10 Years That Shook the World. Dorling Kindersley Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7566-0670-1.
• Lennon, Cynthia (1978). A Twist of Lennon. Star. ISBN 978-0-352-30196-3.
• Lennon, Cynthia (2005). John. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0-340-89512-2.
• Lennon, Pauline (1990). Daddy Come Home. Angus and Robertsons. ISBN 978-0-207-16996-0.
• Lewisohn, Mark; Martin, George (1996). The Complete Beatles' Chronicle. Chancellor Press. ISBN 978-1-85152-975-9.
• Miles, Barry (1997). Many Years From Now. Vintage / Random House. ISBN 978-0-7493-8658-0.
• Miles, Barry (1998). The Beatles: A Diary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-6315-3.
• Sandford, Christopher (2006). McCartney. Century. ISBN 978-0-09-947130-1.
• Spitz, Bob (2005). The Beatles: The Biography. Little, Brown and Company (New York). ISBN 978-1-84513-160-9.
• Shotton, Pete; Schaffner, Nicholas (1983). John Lennon – In My Life. Coronet. ISBN 978-0-340-34699-0.
• Swenarton, Mavis (1992). Inventory of Tarrant Built Houses on St George's Hill. Walton and Weybridge Local History Society.
• Vyner, Harriet (1999). Groovy Bob – The Life And Times of Robert Fraser. Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-20575-2.

51.355522°N 0.446335°W / 51.355522; -0.446335

• Resource Forum dedicated to John Lennon at Kenwood 1964–1968
• Photoblog dedicated to Kenwood