Kinfauns
Encyclopedia
Kinfauns was a bungalow
-style house, located at 16 Claremont Drive, Esher
, Surrey
, England
, KT10 9LU, on the Claremont Estate
. From 1964 to 1970 it was home of George Harrison
, lead guitarist of The Beatles
, and was where many of the demo recordings for the White Album
were made. The house has since been demolished, and a new one built in its place.
. Harrison and Boyd were married on 21 January 1966, and lived in the house until 1970, when Harrison purchased Friar Park
.
During 1967, Harrison and Boyd painted the outside of the house in psychedelic
patterns; a mural around the fireplace was created by design collective The Fool
, who also painted several Beatles musical instruments and Harrison's Mini.
Aside from Paul McCartney
's house at 7 Cavendish Avenue in St. John's Wood, Kinfauns was probably the home the Beatles gathered at most, as it was only a short drive from the homes of John Lennon
(Kenwood
) and Ringo Starr
(Sunny Heights
). It was where Harrison, Lennon and their wives retreated during their first LSD
experience in 1965, and in May 1968 it was where many of the demo
recordings for the White Album
were made, on Harrison's Ampex four-track reel-to-reel tape recorder
. (These demos have been released on various bootleg album
s; seven of them also appear on The Beatles Anthology, Vol. 3
.)
Harrison was the first Beatle to own or use a Moog Synthesizer
, and he recorded "Under The Mersey Wall" with his Moog at Kinfauns; the track became one side of his Electronic Sound
album, released in May 1969.
Kinfauns was where police arrested Boyd and Harrison in 1969, for hashish possession, as Lennon and Yoko Ono
had been months earlier while staying at Ringo Starr
's Montagu Square
apartment. (Both couples insisted the drugs found had been planted on the premises.)
After moving to Friar Park, Harrison sold Kinfauns; both houses were listed as assets of the Beatles' company Apple Corps
.
The site of Kinfauns lies within the historic garden walls of the adjacent Claremont, a 19th Century royal residence. Following a series of planning applications in the early 21st Century the bungalow was substantially demolished and replaced with a new two storey house.
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
-style house, located at 16 Claremont Drive, Esher
Esher
Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, KT10 9LU, on the Claremont Estate
Claremont (country house)
Claremont, also known historically as 'Clermont', is an 18th-century Palladian mansion situated less than a mile south of Esher in Surrey, England...
. From 1964 to 1970 it was home of George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, lead guitarist of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, and was where many of the demo recordings for the White Album
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
were made. The house has since been demolished, and a new one built in its place.
George Harrison
Harrison bought Kinfauns for £20,000 on 17 July 1964, on the advice of Dr. Walter Strach, the Beatles' accountant. Going house-shopping, he said later, "It was the first one I saw, and I thought, that'll do." He was joined there months later by wife-to-be Pattie BoydPattie Boyd
Patricia Anne "Pattie" Boyd is an English model and photographer, and the former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton...
. Harrison and Boyd were married on 21 January 1966, and lived in the house until 1970, when Harrison purchased Friar Park
Friar Park
Friar Park is the 120-room Victorian neo-Gothic mansion previously owned by the eccentric Sir Frank Crisp in Henley-on-Thames and bought by the musician George Harrison in 1970, as he left his former home Kinfauns, in Esher.-History:...
.
During 1967, Harrison and Boyd painted the outside of the house in psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
patterns; a mural around the fireplace was created by design collective The Fool
The Fool (design collective)
The Fool were a Dutch design collective and band who were influential in the psychedelic style of art in British popular music in the late 1960s. The colourful art draws on many fantastical and mystical themes...
, who also painted several Beatles musical instruments and Harrison's Mini.
Aside from Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
's house at 7 Cavendish Avenue in St. John's Wood, Kinfauns was probably the home the Beatles gathered at most, as it was only a short drive from the homes of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
(Kenwood
Kenwood, St. George's Hill
Kenwood is a house on the St. George's Hill estate, Weybridge, Surrey, England. Originally called the Brown House, it was designed by architect T.A. Allen, and built in 1913 by local builders, Love & Sons. The estate was constructed around the Weybridge Golf Club, which was designed in 1912 by...
) and Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
(Sunny Heights
Sunny Heights
Sunny Heights, in St George's Hill estate in Weybridge, Surrey, England, was the mid-1960s home of Ringo Starr, drummer of The Beatles.Starr purchased his home on 24 July 1965 after bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison had bought houses. Sunny Heights, along with its large house and grounds,...
). It was where Harrison, Lennon and their wives retreated during their first LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
experience in 1965, and in May 1968 it was where many of the demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
recordings for the White Album
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
were made, on Harrison's Ampex four-track reel-to-reel tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
. (These demos have been released on various bootleg album
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
s; seven of them also appear on The Beatles Anthology, Vol. 3
Anthology 3
Anthology 3 is a compilation album by The Beatles released in October 1996 by Apple Records as part of The Beatles Anthology series. The album includes rarities and alternative tracks from the final two years of the band's career, ranging from the initial sessions for The Beatles to the last...
.)
Harrison was the first Beatle to own or use a Moog Synthesizer
Robert Moog
Robert Arthur Moog , commonly called Bob Moog was an American pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.-Life:...
, and he recorded "Under The Mersey Wall" with his Moog at Kinfauns; the track became one side of his Electronic Sound
Electronic Sound
Electronic Sound is George Harrison's second album. Released in May 1969, it was the second and final record released on the Beatles' short-lived Zapple Records label, a subsidiary of Apple Records. The album features two lengthy pieces performed on the Moog synthesizer...
album, released in May 1969.
Kinfauns was where police arrested Boyd and Harrison in 1969, for hashish possession, as Lennon and Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
had been months earlier while staying at Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
's Montagu Square
34 Montagu Square, Marylebone
34 Montagu Square is the address of a London ground floor and basement flat once leased by Ringo Starr during the mid-1960s. Its location is 1.3 miles from the Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles recorded...
apartment. (Both couples insisted the drugs found had been planted on the premises.)
After moving to Friar Park, Harrison sold Kinfauns; both houses were listed as assets of the Beatles' company Apple Corps
Apple Corps
Apple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by the members of The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
.
The site of Kinfauns lies within the historic garden walls of the adjacent Claremont, a 19th Century royal residence. Following a series of planning applications in the early 21st Century the bungalow was substantially demolished and replaced with a new two storey house.