John, Mimi and family and Sandbanks

I stumbled on the excellent Tumblr page CynthiaLennonLove recently and found a post dedicated to John and Mimi at Sandbanks, complete with photos of various family members.

The text recounts the story told in the book Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Beatles & Bournemouth, of John and Cynthia taking Mimi house hunting for a property by the sea after the premiere of Help! They settled on a bungalow called Harbour's Edge, at 126 Panorama Road, Sandbanks, which John bought for £65,000. Mimi moved in during October 1965 after which John and Cynthia and baby Julian became fairly regular visitors, particularly in the summer of 1966, as 
seen in these photos.

The first shot (above) shows Mimi sat outside at Harbour's Edge. Pictured right is Cynthia on a family visit with John's aunt Harriet and halfsister Jacqui Dykins (taken from Julia Baird's book John Lennon My Brother) and below that from the same book is a snap of John relaxing with his cousin.

The story goes that John called Harbour's Edge "The most beautiful place I know" and loved visiting because people would leave him alone.

Cynthia recalled one trip to the seaside at Sandbanks where they frolicked on the beach, built sandcastles, swam and enjoyed a picnic with Julian.

Much later Mimi remembered one instance when a photographer tried to snap John and the family on the beach. She was horrified but her nephew must have been in a forgiving mood, telling her not to worry and that he hoped whoever tipped off Fleet Street's finest had 
managed to make a couple of bob!

John also managed a visit with Julian in April 1967, in the run-up to the release of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on 1 June.
On that occasion he and Mimi were photographed with Julian by the Sandbanks Ferry. This image of Julian appears in Andrew Solt's book Imagine.

Mimi lived at Harbour's Edge until her death in 1991, at which point John's widow Yoko sold it. Other than a few squatters and some rave parties the house remained empty until it was demolished in 1994 to make way for two luxury homes. Sandbanks now boasts the fourth most expensive land prices in the world behind Belgravia, Upper Manhattan and Moscow, but ahead of Tokyo and Paris.

Read the full post here. Former milkman Tony O'Hara shared more memories of Mimi at Harbour's Edge and an account of what Sandbanks was like in the 1960s and 1970s, in this article from Dorset Life. 

John Lennon - 'The most beautiful place I know'

It was the summer of 1965 when John Lennon decided to get his beloved Aunt Mimi out of Liverpool and away from the fans that besieged the home in Menlove Avenue where he had spent most of his childhood.

He spent £25,000 on Harbour's Edge, a six-bedroom waterside bungalow at 126 Panorama Road, right by the Sandbanks to Studland chain ferry. He called it 'the most beautiful place I know'.

The neighbours kept to themselves and there was no more intrusion on her life than Mimi wanted. Her move that September was reported in the local press, but the rest of the world didn't much care.

Earlier that year The Beatles had recorded songs such as Help! and Ticket To Ride, in which John appears to be confronting the reality of his fame. Perhaps he recognised Sandbanks as a place he could hide away?

He certainly visited as often as he could over the next couple of years.

And perhaps his relationship to the area is perfectly encapsulated by the terrific photo that features in Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Beatles & Bournemouth in which he appears with Mimi and his son Julian by the ferry, clutching the boy on one hand a bucket and spade in the other. He's glaring at a cameraman who's presence is unexplained, although it might be the local TV press that Mimi referred to in an interview not long after John's death in which she blames the ferryman for tipping off the press who interrupted a private visit.

Conversely, Cynthia Lennon recalls John cavorting on the beach in a sun hat, shorts and blouse, turning cart wheels and totally ignored by the wider world.

John's love of Sandbanks - and the photo from the book - inspired Dorset artist Stephen Bishop to create this painting, The Collector, in tribute.

'I painted the homage to John Lennon as I am a fan of his solo and Beatles work,' says Stephen. 'I love the Beatles and think they exemplify artists who are both creatively fantastic, experimental and successful. I love the way they developed in such a short space of time. They inspire me.

'Born in 1963 and enjoying family holidays in Purbeck (camping at Tom's Field in Langton Matravers) I have fond memories of taking the ferry at Sandbanks from the late 60s onwards. I adore the photo of John with Mimi and Julian.  

'I feel an emotional attachment to what it represents. It shows a proud father with his son and I find it touching as this relationship wasn't as full or constant as either would have liked it to be. In my painting, The Collector, I have also referenced images from earlier times in Dorset.  

'The figure sharpening a scythe replaces the photographer in the photo and for me is a intimation of what would happen to John in New York, a victim of his fame. The Collector is the title of a John Fowles novel that I like  and also refers to the toll that must be paid to cross on the ferry.'

More of Stephen's new work will be on show at the ARThouse Gallery in Bournemouth's Russell-Cotes Museum in August.

He'll also be exhibiting at L'Artishe Contemporary Art Gallery, Swanage from 21 September to 12 October.

:: Order Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Beatles & Bournemouth at a special price from here.

:: More about Stephen Bishop at www.stephenbishop.co.uk.

The Ballad of John and Sandbanks

This week in 1969, John and Paul recorded what was to be The Beatles' final number one single, The Ballad of John and Yoko.
The song chronicles the events of 16 March to 1 April and covers John's marriage to Yoko, an episode that began in the car en route to Aunt Mimi's home at Sandbanks that John had bought for her four years earlier.
He called it "the most beautiful place I know" and had visited many times, initially with Cynthia and baby Julian, but also on his own and with Yoko.
Stories continue to circulate locally that John made a couple of clandestine visits to see Mimi after his departure for New York with Yoko in 1971. If he did return to the UK during that time he managed to keep it very quite. It seems impossible to imagine that, even when he was keeping a low profile following Sean's birth in 1975, he could have flown into the country and not been reported or photographed anywhere.
It could be possible that be arrived by boat, perhaps at Poole, or even Southampton - in a reverse of the events related in The Ballad of John and Yoko - but, again, could John Lennon, famous ex-Beatle, have enjoyed a quick visit by the shores of Poole Harbour without being noticed?
It's an on-going inquiry...
What is known about John and Mimi at Sandbanks - and some photos - is contained in Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Beatles & Bournemouth, which can be ordered here.
As for the recording session itself, that is extensively catalogued by The Beatles Rarity by the ever-thorough Happy Nat.

The interview that never was...

The response to Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Beatles & Bournemouth has been incredible. Not only is the book finding favour with readers all over the world, a host of new stories relating to The Beatles and their adventures in Bournemouth has come to light.

One such is from Edward Petty, who has been prompted to set up a blog called In My Lifetime to record some of his memories.

Edward met The Beatles at the Gaumont on 20 August 1963 under the pretext of interviewing them for a college magazine – he was a student at Bournemouth College of Art & Design in those days, studying to be a commercial artist.

Having gone to the show with a girlfriend, Jacquie, and friend Melvin, while queuing to get in Edward spotted the Gaumont manager who he knew and asked him if there was any chance of meeting The Beatles. The three teenage fans were told to wait while the manager made his enquiries. Soon after The Beatles started their first half set a man approached Edward and Jacquie (desperate to see his heroes Melvin had gone to take his seat) and introduced himself as The Beatles’ road manager.

Edward takes up the story…

‘I understand you would like an interview with The Beatles,’ he said! My heart was now thumping like Ringo’s drums as I fell into this suggestion. Off the top of my head I said: ‘Yes! I’m here to write an article on them for the college magazine.’ ‘OK,’ he said, ‘in ten minutes or so they will be having an interval, so you can meet them in their dressing room,’ and asked us to follow him.

‘I have never been so butterflied out in my life as he led Jacquie and me through the main doors to the aisle that led down through the theatre. I can remember to this day, the look of horror and disbelief on my friend Melvin’s face as he watched us from his seat as we walked by him and down to the side steps that lead up to the door that took us to the side of the stage. We were now stood in the wings watching our idols performing to all these screaming people out in their seats, where we should have been. We felt very privileged. It was a moment to cherish. They finished their set and retired to their dressing room before the next act took over, this was Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas.

‘The road manager returned to us and took us into the dressing room where The Beatles were sitting having a drink and a smoke. It was quite an intimate room and seating consisted of two three- or four-seater bench-type couches and a chair at one end. We were ushered in and I squeezed in between John Lennon and Ringo Starr, while Paul McCartney got Jacquie to sit on his lap on the chair. Opposite me sat George Harrison and as an extra surprise we were to learn about and meet John Lennon’s wife Cynthia.

‘It was not a known thing at the time that he was married.

‘It soon became obvious to everyone that we were not there to do an interview for any magazine. John was very quick to point out that I had neither notepad or paper or any device to record anything. Very soon we were laughing and joking about this. ‘Good on you.’ he said and we were not thrown out. I think they admired our cheek. ‘Noticing my college scarf that I wore in those days of yellow and blue stripes, John indicated he would like it.

‘I suppose we were with them about 15-20 minutes in all, it went too fast to recall every detail but before we were asked to leave I had to ask them for their autographs. This they all agreed to but again pointed out I had nothing to write on. My thinking quickly revealed that I had a wide tan coloured leather belt on and suggested they all signed this for me.

‘Different,’ they said, but all agreed and duly signed all around this belt including Cynthia next to John’s name. I was made up and over the moon. They were now expected back on stage, so we all shook hands with a few kisses for Jacquie and made our farewells.’

- Read the full story, including an all too familiar sting in the tail, at In My Lifetime.

- Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Beatles & Bournemouth is available to order here.

- The photo above of Billy J Kramer with The Beatles in their dressing room at the Gaumont was taken between houses on 19 August 1963, when The Beatles held a party to celebrate Billy’s 20th birthday and his single Bad To Me – penned by Lennon and McCartney – getting to number one. Copies of the photo and many others are available to order here.