| Kinfauns | |
|---|---|
 View of George Harrison and Pattie Boyd's former home Kinfauns | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Bungalow |
| Address | Kinfauns /(or) 16, Claremont Drive, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9LU |
| Town or city | Esher,Surrey |
| Country | England |
| Completed | 1950s |
| Demolished | 2003 |
Kinfauns was a large 1950s deluxebungalow inEsher in the English county ofSurrey, on theClaremont Estate. From 1964 to 1970, it was the home ofGeorge Harrison, lead guitarist ofthe Beatles. It was where many of the demo recordings for the band's 1968self-titled double album (also known as the "White Album") were made. The bungalow has since been demolished, and another house built in its place.
Harrison bought Kinfauns for £20,000[1] (equivalent to £510,000 in 2023) on 17 July 1964, on the advice of Walter Strach, the Beatles' accountant. Going house-hunting, Harrison said later, "It was the first one I saw, and I thought, that'll do." He was joined there months later by his girlfriendPattie Boyd. Harrison and Boyd were married on 21 January 1966, and lived in the house until 1970,[1] when Harrison purchasedFriar Park in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.[2]
During 1967, Harrison and Boyd painted the outside of the house inpsychedelic patterns;[3] a mural around the fireplace was created by design collectivethe Fool,[4] who also painted several Beatles musical instruments and Harrison'sRadford Mini de Ville GT. At the rear of the house was a guitar-shaped swimming pool, while gold discs and the awards the band had achieved adorned the sitting room walls. In front, a tall 15-foot (4.6 m) sliding door kept unauthorised visitors out of the garden. The door was soon covered in fans' signatures and autographs.
Kinfauns was probably the home the Beatles gathered at most, as it was only a short drive from the homes ofJohn Lennon (Kenwood) andRingo Starr (Sunny Heights), both inSt George's Hill. It was where Harrison, Lennon and their wives retreated during their firstLSD experience in 1965, and in May 1968, it was where many of thedemo recordings for theWhite Album were made, on Harrison'sAmpexfour-track tape recorder.[5] These demos have been released on variousbootleg albums; seven of them appear on the Beatles'Anthology 3 compilation album, and 27 appear on the 50th anniversary edition ofThe Beatles (also known as the "White Album") as the "Esher Demos" CD.
Harrison was the first Beatle to own or use aMoog synthesizer, and he recorded "Under the Mersey Wall" with his Moog at Kinfauns. The track filled one side of hisElectronic Sound album, released in May 1969.
Kinfauns was where police arrested Boyd and Harrison for hashish possession in March 1969,[6] as Lennon andYoko Ono had been months earlier while staying at Starr's flat atMontagu Square in London. 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' companyApple Corps. It was later home to songwritersBarry and Sylvan Mason.
The site of Kinfauns lies within the historic garden walls of the adjacentClaremont, a 19th-century royal residence. Following a series of planning applications in the early 21st century, the bungalow was substantially demolished in 2003 and replaced with a new two-storey house, though the windows of the studio were incorporated into the new structure.[7]
| History | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lists | |||||
| Tours and performances |
| ||||
| Personnel |
| ||||
| Associated companies | |||||
| Associated places |
| ||||
| Selected books | |||||
| Other topics | |||||
Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
51°21′35″N0°22′07″W / 51.35960°N 0.36848°W /51.35960; -0.36848
