On this day The Beatles bought a five-storey property at 3 Savile Row, London, for a price of £500,000.
The property had once been the home of Lord Nelson’s Lady Hamilton, and had also later belonged to entertainment impresario Jack Hilton. It became The Beatles’ base for Apple when they officially moved in on 15 July 1968.
The Beatles spent much of the next 18 months at 3 Savile Row; indeed, it was the location of their celebrated rooftop performance on 30 January 1969. They also installed a recording studio in the basement.
Each of the group’s members had an office in the Georgian townhouse, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono ran their early peace campaigns from the building, under the umbrella of Bag Productions. Also working at 3 Savile Row at various times were Neil Aspinall, Mal Evans, Derek Taylor, Peter Brown and Allen Klein.
It also became a place for Beatles fans to congregate outside – the legendary Apple Scruffs, as immortalised by George Harrison in song. Apple eventually sold the building in October 1976.
Also on this day...
- 2014: Ringo Starr live: Durham Performing Arts Center, Durham, North Carolina
- 2013: Paul McCartney live: Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland
- 1973: UK album release: Living In The Material World by George Harrison
- 1968: Paul McCartney addresses Capitol Records conference
- 1966: Mixing: Eleanor Rigby, She Said She Said, Good Day Sunshine, Yellow Submarine, Tomorrow Never Knows, Got To Get You Into My Life
- 1965: Live: Palais d’Hiver, Lyon, France
- 1964: Live: Town Hall, Wellington, New Zealand
- 1964: Mixing, editing: A Hard Day’s Night album, Long Tall Sally EP songs
- 1963: Live: Town Hall, Abergavenny
- 1963: Television: Juke Box Jury
- 1962: Live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (evening)
- 1962: Live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
- 1961: Live: Top Ten Club, Hamburg
- 1961: Recording: My Bonnie, The Saints, Why, Cry For A Shadow
- 1957: Live: Rosebery St, Liverpool
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.