Bournemouth

A day after the Help! premiere (July 29, so it was on July 30th), Mimi was staying in Weybridge during a visit [don't ask me if Mimi went to the premiere as I honestly don't know], she was with John for his usual late breakfast of his cornflakes. For a time, Mimi refused to leave her beloved Mendips home in Liverpool but was also getting fed up by fans visiting. She then got to the point of wanting to leave. John asked her where she was willing to move to and the first place that flew out of her mouth was Bournemouth. After breakfast, John and Mimi were driven by Les Anthony to Bournemouth to check out houses, especially the ones that look out to the sea. Mimi fell in love with a house that wasn't for sale. So, in his 'weekend' wear of jeans with holes, a shirt, and a cap, John went to the door and convince the starstruck owners to sell their house to him… they did! Few sources, including Cynthia, say that it was indeed on the market and it was the fourth house they looked over that won Mimi's approval. Mimi happily moved in by September of 1965 and remained there until her death in 1991.

There's a known record of two times that John, Cynthia, and Julian visiting… well, actually three minus Cynthia. Although according to Cynthia, she thought only once but, sorry Cyn, pictures don't lie.

The first visit was in 1965 after Mimi moved in… unfortunately I don't know the exact date but let's say in September after she settled in, while it was still summer and the beach was full of people. John understandably didn't want to be recognized and wore a big hat. Luckily for him, he wasn't bothered at all. So far, no photos are publicly available, if taken. Mimi, John, Cynthia, and Julian had a picnic on the beach, swimming, and playing in the sand. 

"When we bought her the house down in Poole in 1965, we went to visit and she was all over him then, but apart from that there was no contact."

Cynthia, 2005

Again, sorry Cynthia, there were more contact than she either realized/didn't know or had forgotten about.

Julian in Bournemouth, 1966

(top) Julia Baird's collection

(bottom) Yoko Ono's collection [perhaps photographed by John?]

John and David hanging out on Mimi's balcony in Bournemouth, 1966

From Julia Baird's collection

The second visit was in 1966. Again, unknown date. However, this time around it was a family gathering. John, Cynthia, Julian, sisters Julia and Jacqui, Aunt Harrie, cousin David (Harrie's son), those are who I know of were there. 

John, Julian, and Mimi at Sandbanks Ferry, 1967

Photographed by Betty Derrick

In April of 1967, John and Julian went to Bournemouth to visit Mimi (where was Cynthia? I don't know… could be somewhere with her mother Lillian) and they took Sandbanks Ferry to Studland and Shell Bay.

Those times weren't the only times John visited- he actually came around quite often when able to where he could get away from being a celebrity and pressures. Even after his divorce from Cynthia, John continued to visit Mimi with Yoko. In fact, while Paul McCartney was marrying Linda Eastman and George and Pattie Harrison were being arrested, John and Yoko were with Mimi and decided that they were going to get married. In 1972, John and Yoko left England for good for New York City and Mimi wouldn't see John again although they did talked on the phone often. After John's death in 1980, Mimi discovered that she wasn't the owner of her beloved house: John was and now Yoko. In fear that Yoko would send her people over to check in on Mimi, she quickly put down display photos of Julian and replaced them with Sean. Wow. That's definitely not a favorable point for Yoko! By the way, Mimi only met Sean once but we will get into that some other time. Cynthia did later started visiting Mimi on occasion. Anyway, immediately after Mimi's death and funeral, her house was sold. It was soon demolished and was replaced with a more modern home.