Beatles guitarist George Harrison blue plaque unveiled by first wife Pattie Boyd at former Esher home – Get Surrey
A blue plaque commemorating Beatles guitarist George Harrison’s time living in Esher has been unveiled by his first wife Pattie Boyd.The plaque, organised by the Esher Residents Association (ERA), marks the couple’s former Kinfauns home in Claremont Drive.
Pattie Boyd joined members of the ERA and the home’s current owners at the unveiling ceremony on Tuesday evening (May 23).
The former model, who was married to Harrison from 1966 to 1977 and went on to marry guitar legend Eric Clapton, described visiting the house again.
She said: “As I was driving to come here suddenly I was overcome with amazing memories of such a happy time.
“I came into the drive and was totally blown away because it’s not like the house I remember at all.”
Kinfauns was substantially demolished in 2003 and replaced with a two-story house, although the two round studio windows were retained and incorporated into the new building.
Harrison bought Kinfauns on July 17 1964 for the princely sum of £20,000.
Diana Hatfield, from the ERA, said: “Fans were making life for the Beatles at the time rather difficult so their accountant, Walter Strach, suggested moving from London to Weybridge and Esher.
“John Lennon and Ringo Starr moved to St George’s Hill in Weybridge and George decided on Kinfauns in Esher, the first house he viewed.
“Fans however tracked down George’s new home and carved messages to him on the large wooden gate to the house.”
Harrison and Pattie Boyd lived at Kinfauns from 1965 to 1970, and they held their wedding reception at the house on January 21 1966.
Mrs Hatfield said: “In 1967 the house was transformed when, inspired by the book Tantrum Art, George and Pattie painted the outside of Kinfauns in psychedelic patterns and colours with flowers and doodles.
She said: “Rather sad to see all the beautiful paintings that were done by people like Mick and Marianne, and George and myself, and a lot of our friends have been washed over and demolished.
“It is sad, but maybe I can’t cling onto the past, because it was full of joy for me.”
By late May 1968, when the Beatles returned from a trip to India, they recorded a number of demos at Kinfauns, which became known as the Kinfauns or Esher Demos.
Mrs Hatfield said: “These included tracks that eventually made it onto The White Album. This was the follow up to Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and The White Album is being remixed and will be reissued in 2018 in time for its 50th anniversary.”
She added that the Harrison and Boyd left Kinfauns in 1970 and moved to Friar Park in Henley.
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