Eye of the Pool

After John and his family moved into Kenwood, renovations inside the house happened in 1964 (it wouldn't be completed until the following year - they lived in the attic for that time). John decided he wanted a pool for his new home, so, in 1965, construction started outside the house. Originally, John wanted a mirror on the bottom of the pool. I don't know where he got that idea but it does sound like a cool thing to do. But, unfortunately, it didn't happen. Instead, John settled on a psychedelic eye at the deep end of the pool - far cry from having a mirror!

John enlisted tile master Joseph Ritrovato to install the work of art after the pool was built (not yet filled with water). It's been said that John was the one who designed the Eye, and he could've done so. However, it took Joe approximately 17,000 little tiles to glue on the wall. I don't know how long the process took but he got the job done!

The psychedelic eye remained there after John and Cynthia divorced, and the house was sold. The eye saw many owners come and go until 1984 when the new Swedish owner, Bernard Cochrane, decided to remove it - but still own it. I suppose they learned that John was the one who installed the eye and wanted to preserve it as he died 4 years prior. The owners had the eye checked and figured it wouldn't last in the next couple of years of wear and tear (and chlorine water). It was already in quite bad condition and if they wanted to save it, at that moment was now. They gently disassemble the tiles and put it on a slab where it could be displayed for exhibitions around the world. It settled at The International Garden Festival at the Royal Festival Gardens in Liverpool from 1985 until 1987 when closed. It was then intended to go to Alder Hey Children's Hospital but it never happened. The mosaic eye remained at the Royal Festival Gardens site until 2005 when it was rediscovered by Wladek 'Butch' Reszczynski while clearing the area. Thinking it was abandoned, he brought it to his field where he restored it. It was soon returned to the owner and was fixed up again to go back to being a public display. Around this time period of rediscovery, Cynthia was came face to face with an eye she hadn't seen since 1968 and felt the hairs on the skin stand up - she confirmed it was the same eye she lived with at Kenwood. 

"A friend is very close to Cynthia Lennon who was living with John at Kenwood when the Eye was created. Next time she was visiting Merseyside Cynthia came to see the Eye. She said the hairs on the back of her neck stood up and confirmed that this was the Eye from Kenwood."

Wladek 'Butch' Reszczynski, 2002

It then went on display at The Beatles Story Museum in Liverpool in 2008, and was part of The Victoria & Albert Museum's You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-1970 in 2016 until 2017. The eye then traveled to Canada at its The Museum of Fine Arts in 2017 and then went to Italy at Fabricca del Vapore from 2017 until 2018. The eye returned to England to be at Sculpture at Kingham Lodge in 2023 until listed to be auction off later that year in November from Bonham's.

Massive Crowd

 

Getting Off

 

Austria to England

 

England to Austria

 

Bedtime With Dad

 

Close to Daddy

 

Down By the Pool

 

Greenhouse

 

Rolls Royce

 

In Awe

Ron Howard with John and Julian on the set of Happy Days

 

Garden Stairs

 

Time with John & Yoko

 

Learn From Dad

 

Ski Bench

 

Hotel Bottle

 

Ski Goggles

 

On Their Way In

 

Wild Birthday Night

Stephanie La Motta

Stephanie La Motta was born in July of 1959 to Jake and Dimitria La Motta; Jake was a professional champion boxer. Stephanie was an actress, musician, model, boxing and fitness instructor until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1979. Stephanie started to date Ringo in October of 1979 after meeting at Tramps nightclub. They traveled to Vienna, Austria and Greece but after returning to London, they saw little of each other.

Ringo and Stephanie in Vienna, October of 1979

"You know, I'd never noticed that until today. I just used to be in Tramps and that's where you would meet people. I was sitting at a table when the manager came over to say that Ringo wanted me to go and join him at his table. He didn't know who I was and he was curious. I told the manager that I was a lady and if Ringo wanted to meet me, he had to act like a gentleman and come over to my table. He came over apologised and introduced himself. He was so funny. We dated regularly for about six months. It was a wonderful time for me. Ringo is a beautiful person - he really is. He makes you laugh all the time. I cried my eyes out when we parted."

Stephanie La Motta, 1982 

"Our affair was crazily happy, yet tinged with sadness. I think I left a little of my heart with Ringo and that I am still a bit in love with him...I loved Ringo for his mind, his cute ways, his funniness, his great warmth. On our third day together we felt we had known each other all our lives. We were so comfy together. Like my favourite movie star Humphrey Bogart - I've seen Casablanca 23 times - Ringo is the sexiest unsexy man I've ever met." 

Stephanie La Motta, 1981

Julian and Stephanie went to see Billy Connolly in concert at Cambridge Theatre in London and went to a nightclub with Pamela Stephenson, December of 1981.

 In 1981, she was romantically linked to Julian Lennon. They met through mutual friends at Tramps (she sure liked going there and meeting romantic flings).

"I met Julian through a mutual friend of ours. We sat talking in Tramps, the London club, for about three hours and I had no idea who this kid was."

Stephanie La Motta, 1982 

It was pretty much around the exact anniversary of John's death and Julian was still very much grieving. Stephanie at first didn't realize Julian was John's son and questioned why Julian looked so sad, full of sorrow. Julian told her who he was.

"I said I was really sorry, that I didn't know - and I started to cry."

Stephanie La Motta, 1982 

Julian ended up comforting Stephanie. 

"He said he felt we were going to be friends for a very long time."

Stephanie La Motta, 1982 

At the time, Stephanie was going through a music phase - she was in the recording studio for her one and only single I'm Here At Last (with B side So Forget The Past). Julian often accompany her to the recording studio. He was originally going to sing on the B side but it didn't happen. Since childhood, Stephanie played music as a child piano at 5, guitar in teens. had a group The Feathers until multiple sclerosis diagnosis. 

"I'd do anything for him. He was in the studio every single day, rooting for me. He kept running in the door, kissing me on the cheek and telling me I could do it, then running back again behind the glass!"

Stephanie La Motta, 1982

However, their brief romance pretty much ended when it started as Julian already was in between two serious relationships with Sally Hodson and Debbie Boyland.

"Julian — well he's just a good friend. He's someone else with a lot of problems, though. I guess I understand people like that. Julian gets followed around by loads of hangers-on. London is like that. It's such a false place. If you have money or a name then everyone wants to know you. Julian's wise, though, he knows that. I saw him only a few weeks ago. He was going on holiday. The thing was I couldn't stand the way he looked like a clone of his father. I told him to cut his hair off and throw away those glasses, because the only way you're going to make it in life is to be yourself. And do you know what - he cut off his hair and threw away his glasses. I told him: Go on vacation and get away from it all, take off your father. And he did it!"

Stephanie La Motta, 1982

Cynthia, Zak, and Maureen 

Peter Stringfellow and Maureen celebrating Julian’s 19th birthday 

On April 8, 1982, Julian celebrated his 19th birthday at Stringfellows in London. with a singing telegram girl, champagne flowing, custard pies were thrown, and a white horse came with Stephanie riding it. Cynthia, Maureen, Zak, Lulu, John Entwistle, and Sian Adey Jones were among the guests.

"At his 19th birthday party he was presented with a white horse at my club. I'll always remember because it did its business on the edge of the bar. Julian was like a son to me and I named a drink after him – the Blue Julian." 

Peter Stringfellow, 1995

In 1984, Stephanie founded Death Row Dogs Rescue, saving animals from dire situations. She married Jacques Dreyfus in 1991. Lives in New York City.