13 Emperor's Gate
Flat 3
Kensington, London
Cynthia and John outside their apartment home for the last time while moving into their new Surrey home in the Summer of 1964
"It was beautiful. We moved from Liverpool, actually Hoylake where I was staying with Mum. John had just started touring, we moved to a maisonette near Cromwell Road and I had Julian. There wasn't a lift and we had to go up and down stairs. Eventually there were always crowds of people outside when we went out so we both agreed we ought to do the proper thing and go and buy a mansion in Weybridge. That was in 1964 and the mansion cost £19,000."
Cynthia, 1988
John was starting to be in London more often in 1963. It was getting very clear that they would have to move down South. Paul McCartney moved into his girlfriend Jane Asher's family home; her mother Margaret took pity of him living the hotel life and he had his own room… Unlike Cynthia's denials that she and John didn't do anything while living with his Aunt Mimi during their dating years, Paul and Jane certainly took the chance of hanky panky! Her brother Peter recently said he realized that Paul and Jane were together by the 'shaking of the walls'. George Harrison and Ringo Starr got an apartment together, as did Brian Epstein. I recall hearing that John bunked with George and Ringo until he found out from Robert Freeman (a photographer) that there was a vacant furnished apartment (Cynthia described it as a mansionette- probably like a condo) above his own apartment. John took it, and by November of 1963, Cynthia and Julian moved to London to join John. It was very exciting for Cynthia and John. It was really the first time they had something that was theirs- prior to that, they lived in Brian's apartment, Mimi's home, Lillian's home, but not their own. Cynthia got to decorate their home, shopping in major department stores, and explored London like a tourist. Cynthia has been in London before as a teenager but this time around, she really got around. The Lennons used a pseudonym Hadley on the mailbox to fool fans (needless to say it didn't work).
It wasn't long until they found a flaw of their home. For starters, there was no elevator. They had to take six flights of stairs. Imagine that with a stroller, a baby, shopping bags, the lot. Soon, fans discovered where John lived and started to camp out. He would arrive home all battered and bruised from getting mobbed. Fans would also stick their gum in the lock to prevent them from entering home. Fans also managed to go cross the street to another building that can see into their home; the curtains became permanently closed. Life got tough. John and Cynthia decided to look for a home further away in the Country where they can have privacy. Enter Weybridge.
But hold your horses! Despite the glaring flaws of the apartment, so much happened during their stay: The Beatles Christmas Show, First United States visit, A Hard Day's Night, Julian's first birthday, and In His Own Write happened in that apartment.
"When Brian, who always did the right thing, learned from somewhere about the conditions Cynthia had been living in, he was very worked. 'I don't think John sees how it looks,' he said. 'If the papers find out that he is married with a baby son and then they find out that his wife and son are living in a slum in Liverpool while John is in a luxury flat in London, it could cause a great scandal. She'll have to come to London and I'll find them something nice.' John wasn't all that happy with his bachelor freedom being curtailed. He pointed out that recently Cynthia and her mum had moved back to the family home in Hoylake, a nice middle-class district where Cynthia had been brought up, but Brian was insistent she'd been practically hung out to dry. The boys were his family and by extension so were Cynthia and John's son. Before he could do anything, the cat was out of the bag. One morning Brian opened his daily newspaper and saw photographs of "Beatles' wife" Cynthia pushing a baby to the shops in a big Silver Cross pram. Instantly, Brian arranged a delayed honeymoon in Paris for John and Cynthia and on their return, flew them to London for official photographs that would present this happy and ideal family group to the world. As he snapped away, the Beatles' photographer, Bob Freeman, mentioned that a top-floor flat was available about his own flat not far from Brian's block at Emperor's Gate in Knightsbridge. John had so little interest in where they lived that he took the flat sight unseen in November 1963, while Cynthia returned home to pack up and fetch Julian. Very quickly she discovered that having a baby and a large pram on the fourth floor of a building with no lift was a mistake, that living in the heart of London with fans camping on her doorstep was a bigger mistake, but she stuck it out for nine exhausting months. During the months they lived in London she and John did go out around town, but Cynthia always felt out of her depth."
Tony Bramwell
"The Beatles were now so successful it was obvious that we all needed to be based in the South, within easy reach of the studios and record offices of the capital. But our first attempt at a London home hadn't worked out. Bob Freeman, a photographer friend of John's, had mentioned that the maisonette above his own in Emperor's Gate, London, had become vacant. It was a good location, very comfortable and extremely reasonably priced at only £15 a week. Looking back, it seems ridiculous now that we were concerned about the rent but we still didn't realise how much the Beatles were worth or how long their popularity would last. We'd been brought up to be careful with money, to economise, and it hadn't yet occurred to us to change our ways. Anyway, we went to see the maisonette and we liked it. There was a kitchen, sitting-room and two bedrooms, all bright and clean and, best of all, Bob and his wife Sunny and their children lived downstairs, so I wouldn't be completely alone when John was away. We barely even noticed that there were six flights of stairs up from the front door - a killing when you're struggling with a baby, a pushchair and a couple of bags of shopping. We never gave it a thought. Impulsive and enthusiastic as ever, we took the maisonette and moved to London.It was a relief to get away from the fans to our new home in Weybridge. Here we are having fun with some props for the first professional pictures taken after the move. Julian looks suitably serious! At first it was fine. I enjoyed myself furnishing our new home in simple Sixties style from Derry and Toms - always conscious that I mustn't be extravagant because the bubble could burst at any time. But it didn't matter. We'd never had a whole place to furnish before so it was fun. We settled in happily and John pursued his ever more hectic career. But it wasn't long before the problems started. The stairs became a chore but, far worse than that, the fans discovered our address. It had reached the stage where John couldn't walk down the street without being stopped or chased and now he wasn't even safe at home. By hook or by crook the fans got into the building. They'd wait outside all day until somebody opened the front door, then they'd rush in. They'd sleep on the stairs, and whenever I went shopping I had to step over bodies and push through 15 to 20 young girls to get out. Sometimes they were very sweet and would offer to help with the baby but somehow that didn't make it any better. Then they took to pushing chewing-gum in the keyhole so that John couldn't get in and as he fumbled with the lock they'd grab his scarf and pester for autographs. Often late at night, when I was alone, weirdos would come knocking on our internal front door and I'd lay there in the dark, heart racing, wondering if this time, they' might get into the flat. It was getting ridiculous. The last straw came when one night the air terminal nearby caught fire. It was absolutely terrifying. Police cars and fire-engines were racing past our door, flames were licking into the sky and the whole building, only 300 yards away, became a blazing torch. John, as usual, was away. I grabbed Julian from his bed and stood at the window, clutching him tight, staring out at the orange night. Any minute those roaring flames might change direction and we'd have to run. Fortunately, after a long struggle, the firemen got the blaze under control and we didn't have to be evacuated, but I think that finished it for me. "Enough's enough," I told John when he came home, and he agreed. he was getting fed up with the constant battle to get inside his own front door. What we needed, he said, was somewhere quiet, where the fans couldn't intrude. As it happened, at this point George had built a house in Esher, Surrey. It was a lovely leafy, peaceful area."
Cynthia, 1994
"John, Cynthia, and Julian moved into a furnished apartment above me that had just become available, a temporary measure before looking for a home. And in fact the following year they moved to a large house on a country estate in Weybridge, an hour's drive from London. Emperor's Gate was a quiet residential cul-de-sac. Since Beatlemania was in full swing, Cynthia thought that a low profile area would spare them the attention of the fans. But it wasn't long before fans found out where they were living, despite the code name Hadley on the doorbell, and Cynthia's attempts at disguise with a black wig and dark glasses. It only needed The Beatles' limousine to draw up a couple of times, with the furtive figure of Lennon scurrying from doorway to car, to arouse suspicions. A small and devoted group of fans began to wait outside, writing messages on the door and the columns, hoping to see John come out, but happy to talk to Cynthia or admire baby Julian. Having to run this gauntlet each time Cynthia went out on an errand began to get on her nerves and the Lennons' decision to move to Weybridge was prompted by a need for privacy. It was a difficult time for John and Cynthia. Caught in the whirlwind of Fame, with attention from all kinds of people, they were beseiged by phone calls inside and the screams of the fans outside. The phone was mostly left off the hook and only necessary did they leave the house. Not that John wanted to leave that much anyway once he got home… With the temptations of sudden success, the big-city life, and the constant attention of the fans, being a married Beatle was not easy for John. In the early days, his marriage had been kept secret to enhance his appeal of the fans. This put pressure on both him and Cynthia. Coming home at the end of a long day, he'd slump wearily onto the sofa and let his mind go blank watching television or listening to his albums. Since the apartment was rented, it was sparsely decorated. Cynthia's mother was usually around, looking after Julian whose toys were scattered about the living room floor, many of them gifts from fans. Needing space to develop his ideas and write music, John felt hemmed in by this domestic situation. He played with Julian, but was not the kind of father to indulge a young child's needs."
Bob Freeman, Photographer
Beth Shotton, Cynthia, Nigel Whalley, Lillian Powell, John, and Pete Shotton during the Christmas holidays, December of 1963
Photographed by Pat Whalley
During the Christmas holidays in December of 1963, John invited Pete and Beth Shotton to stay over for a week while he was rehearsing and performing for The Beatles Christmas Show. During that week, they met up with childhood friends, Nigel and Pat Whalley. Cynthia and Pat knew each other for a long time before.
"'Why don't you come down with us, Pete?' John said impulsively. 'You can stay with me and Cyn through Chrimble, and catch all our shows at Finsbury Park.' The day after Christmas, Beth and I arrived, as promised, in London. Upon climbing the six flights of stairs to John's new Kensington flat, we were greeted by Cynthia Lennon, her mum, and baby Julian- whom I had never before seen. John, however, had already joined the other Beatles at Finsbury Park's Astoria Theater. 'He's been ringing up every ten minutes to see if you've arrived,' said Cyn. A moment later, the phone rang; sure enough, it was John. 'Pete! Terrific you made it!' he burbled. 'Did you meet Julian? Isn't he lovely?' 'He is beautiful, John, but it's strange to hear you say it!' Prior to Julian's arrival, John had never (to put it mildly) been exactly enamored of babies. After we exchanged a few more pleasantries, John insisted that I rush over to thet theaterw delay, lest I miss the Beatles' performance. Leaving Beth with Cyn- and at the tender mercies of Mrs. Powell- I sprinted back down the stairs to grab a taxi. After we got back to his flat, however, John fully recovered his high spirits. Nige had driven over in the company of his wife, Pat, who was sporting the most extraordinary beehive hairdo I'd ever seen. Nige's presence proved a great stimulus for both John and me, and we spent the rest of the night drinking, smoking, catching up on everybody's news, and mugging for Nige's camera. By the next evening, John's ankle [injured while jumping on Nigel's car] had so improved that we decided- after effecting our escape from the Finsbury Park Beatlemaniacs- to take our wives on the rounds of London's most fashionable watering holes. So thoroughly did we enjoy ourselves that, when the last after- hours club had shut down for the night, we still didn't want to go home. That magical week passed all too quickly. Each evening Beth and I attended the Beatles' performance, then looned about with John and Cyn until the wee hours. We generally went off sight-seeing during the afternoons, as our host's professional activities kept him extremely busy."
Pete Shotton, 1983
Cynthia reading and John playing his acoustic guitar in their Emperor's Gate apartment, 1964
Photographed by Astrid Kirchherr
While filming A Hard Day's Night, John invited Astrid over to his apartment but not her business companion, Max Scheler.
"I was very friendly with Cynthia, John’s first wife, and used to visit them at their flat in London, where this picture was taken in 1964, during the filming of A Hard Day’s Night. John was always fiddling around on his guitar and drinking tea. John and my mother loved each other. None of the band liked German food, so when we were in Hamburg my mummy would cook them steak and mashed potatoes. John would rush into her kitchen and give her a big hug."
Astrid Kirchherr, 2013
"Max and I also visited The Beatles' homes. John wouldn't have Max come over to his place- it was not for the press- but he invited me over. He and Cynthia were in a flat that had been rented for them by Brian. They had moved into it furnished, which explains those horrible curtains in my photo! I remember they were keen to move out and get their own place, as soon as they had the time."
Astrid Kirchnerr, 2007
