Mansion where John Lennon wrote I Am The Walrus is for sale
Fab decor! Sprawling mansion where John Lennon wrote I Am The Walrus and moved in Yoko Ono while still married to first wife Cynthia is listed for sale for £9million
- Kenwood was the home of John and Cynthia Lennon from 1964 until 1968 when Yoko Ono moved in
- Cynthia returned from a holiday in Greece to find Yoko Ono had spent the night with her husband
- House sold for an undisclosed sum two years after it was put up on the market for £8.9 million in 2016
- Kenwood lies in 1.5 acres on the private St George’s Hill Estate in Weybridge, 18 miles from London
A sprawling mansion bought by John Lennon for £20,000 in 1964 is for sale for £8.95million just two years after it was last sold.
Kenwood was the Weybridge, Surrey, home of John and Cynthia Lennon at the height of the Beatles’ career in the 1960s.
But their marriage crumbled when Cynthia returned from a holiday to Greece to find her husband had moved Yoko Ono in. Now it has emerged that the mock Tudor manor house is for sale again, two years after is was sold to a Maria Zemtsov for an undisclosed sum.
Kenwood lies in 1.5 acres on the private St George’s Hill Estate, 18 miles from London.
Kenwood was the Weybridge, Surrey, home of John and Cynthia Lennon at the height of the Beatles’ career in the 1960s. Kenwood lies in 1.5 acres on the private St George’s Hill Estate, 18 miles from London
John and Cynthia Lennon are pictured in 1966. Their marriage crumbled when Cynthia returned from a holiday to Greece in 1968 to find her husband had moved Yoko Ono into their home
The bright kitchen features a dark island as its centrepiece. John and Cynthia’s marriage crumbled when Cynthia returned from a holiday to Greece to find her husband had moved Yoko Ono in. Now it has emerged that the mock Tudor manor house was sold to Maria Zemtsov for an undisclosed sum in 2018
John bought it in 1964, the same year they released their Hard Day’s Night film and made their first foray into the US market, travelling to New York where 3,000 fans greeted them at JFK Airport.
The musician hired interior designer Kenneth Partridge to overhaul the house after meeting him through manager Brian Epstein at a party to celebrate the band’s departure for America.
Partridge knocked down walls to create party-friendly reception rooms and installed mauve flocked wallpaper and a globe-shaped bar.
John wrote ‘I Am The Walrus’ in the attic and other songs are thought to have been penned there including Day Tripper, Ticket To Ride and In My Life.
He then sold the six-bedroom house for £40,000 in December 1968 – double what he paid for it.
Landscaped gardens and grounds feature York stone, split level entertaining terraces, low box hedging, specimen plants and herbaceous borders extending to approximately 1.5 acres. John wrote ‘I Am The Walrus’ in the attic and other songs are thought to have been penned there including Day Tripper, Ticket To Ride and In My Life
The musician hired interior designer Kenneth Partridge to overhaul the house after meeting him through manager Brian Epstein at a party to celebrate the band’s departure for America. Pictured, the living space features floor to ceiling windows and hardwood floors
Another living space has Tudor-stile wooden panelling around the windows. John bought it in 1964, the same year they released their Hard Day’s Night film and made their first foray into the US market, travelling to New York where 3,000 fans greeted them at JFK Airport
The 12,000sq ft house has since changed hands several times, with rumours swirling that each sale has been due to a divorce.
Paul McCartney got the idea for Hey Jude whilst driving out to Kenwood to visit Cynthia and her son Julian shortly after the split.
The house was originally put on the market in 2016 before it was bought for an undisclosed sum in 2018. Now it is up for sale again, but it is now known since when.
Estate agents Knight Frank said of it: ‘A rare opportunity to purchase a luxuriously appointed character family home, formerly owned by John Lennon, set in about 1.5 acres of exquisite gardens within St George’s Hill Estate.
‘Kenwood is situated at the heart of the exclusive St George’s Hill Estate, acknowledged as one of the UK’s premier private residential addresses.
Cynthia and John are pictured with their son Julian at their home in Kenwood in 1964 – four years before their tumultuous divorce. The 12,000sq ft house has since changed hands several times, with rumours swirling that each sale has been due to a divorce
There is an indoor swimming complex (pictured) fit with a heated pool, sauna, shower and changing facilities at the bottom of the garden. Kenwood was designed by architect T. A. Allen, and built in 1913 by Love & Sons, a local building firm. Parts of a home movie showing Lennon at Kenwood in 1967 were featured in the film Imagine: John Lennon
‘The house occupies a superb plateau position set around St George’s Hill’s renowned golf course, tennis club and leisure amenities.
‘Kenwood overlooks magnificent landscaped gardens and grounds and enjoys uninterrupted views of the Surrey Hills.’
There is an indoor swimming complex fit with a heated pool, sauna, shower and changing facilities at the bottom of the garden, according to the listing
It added: ‘The mature landscaped gardens and grounds feature attractive York stone, split level entertaining terraces, low box hedging, specimen plants and herbaceous borders extending to approximately 1.5 acres.’
Kenwood was designed by architect T. A. Allen, and built in 1913 by Love & Sons, a local building firm.
John with Cynthia at Heathrow Airport, prior to flying to India in February 1968. The couple were to divorce later that year after John drunkenly admitted sleeping with other women
The bathroom has a free standing bath tub in the centre of the room. Kenwood is close to Sunny Heights, the former home of Ringo Starr, and a short drive from Kinfauns, George Harrison’s former home in Esher. Paul McCartney got the idea for Hey Jude whilst driving out to Kenwood to visit Cynthia and her son Julian shortly after the split
Parts of a home movie showing Lennon at Kenwood in 1967 were featured in the film Imagine: John Lennon.
Cynthia and John had to install a large wooden sliding gate at the start of their drive to keep fans out.
Kenwood is close to Sunny Heights, the former home of Ringo Starr, and a short drive from Kinfauns, George Harrison’s former home in Esher.
In October 2006, Kenwood went up for sale for £5.95 million and it was sold in January 2007 for £5.8 million.
John and Yoko remained a couple until December 8, 1980, when he was shot dead by obsessed fan Mark David Chapman.
John and Cynthia Lennon: The tumultuous relationship that ended when she walked in on him with Yoko Ono at their Weybridge home
On November 8, 1968, John and Cynthia Lennon’s divorce was official. Months earlier Yoko Ono had moved into Kenwood, the Weybridge home the couple shared with their son Julian.
The couple met in 1958 when they were both students at the Liverpool College of Art. ‘He was a real scruff, a real teddy boy. He looked as if he would punch you as soon as look at you,’ Cynthia told journalist Alex Belfield. ‘He ended up in my calligraphy class and he didn’t want to be there.’
At a party in July 1959, they danced a slow dance and slept together that night, according to the Independent.
They briefly spit, according to Cynthia, when John struck her across the face during an argument, but were back together after three months.
By 1962, the same year Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best in The Beatles, Cynthia was pregnant. They married at Mount Pleasant Registry Office in Liverpool on August 23.
John and Cynthia Lennon in August 1968. The couple met in 1958 when they were both students at the Liverpool College of Art. ‘He was a real scruff, a real teddy boy. He looked as if he would punch you as soon as look at you,’ Cynthia told journalist Alex Belfield. ‘He ended up in my calligraphy class and he didn’t want to be there’
Cynthia was initially kept a secret to stop a marriage alientating fans. She hid her pregnancy with oversized blouses.
The Beatles, with their wives, arriving at the London Pavilion, Piccadilly Circus, London, for the world premiere of their film ‘Help!’. (L-R) Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and his wife Maureen, John Lennon and Cynthia, and George Harrison in July 1965
Julian Lennon was born on April 8, 1963, when John was on tour. He didn’t meet his son until three days later.
They moved to a London flat and then to their Surrey mansion in 1964. But four years later Cynthia had moved out and Yoko Ono was in.
In February 1968 John drunkenly confessed to sleeping with other women and later that year Cynthia returned from a holiday in Greece to find Yoko Ono in their home. She and John had spent the night together.
After another short break to Italy Cynthia returned to find Yoko Ono had moved in. Their divorce was finalised months later.
Cynthia agreed to a settlement of £100,000, with another £100,000 put in a trust fund for Julian.
