On this day John Lennon and Yoko Ono bought their first home together, Tittenhurst Park in Ascot, Berkshire.
The mansion was located on a 72-acre estate on London Road in Sunningdale, Ascot. Lennon and Ono bought it for £145,000 from Peter Cadbury, an entrepreneur and the son of Sir Egbert Cadbury of the chocolate company Cadbury Brothers.
Lennon and Ono didn’t move into Tittenhurst Park until 11 August 1969. They spent twice the purchase price on renovations, including the creation of a lake, without planning permission, which they could see from their bedroom window.
The Beatles’ final photographic session took place at Tittenhurst Park on 22 August 1969. The images were used on the cover of the Hey Jude compilation early the following year.
A recording studio, known as Ascot Sound Studios or ASS, was installed at Tittenhurst in 1970. Lennon’s Imagine album and Ono’s Fly were both recorded there. The sessions were filmed, and footage was later released in the documentary Gimme Some Truth: The Making Of John Lennon’s Imagine.
The couple moved to the United States in August 1971. On 18 September 1973 they sold Tittenhurst Park to Ringo Starr, who renamed the recording facilities Startling Studios.
Also on this day...
- 2018: Sir Paul McCartney is made a Companion of Honour at Buckingham Palace
- 2016: Paul McCartney live: Target Center, Minneapolis
- 2013: Paul McCartney live: Estadio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte
- 2003: Paul McCartney live: Globe Arena, Stockholm
- 2002: Paul McCartney live: Staples Center, Los Angeles
- 1999: Recording: All Shook Up by Paul McCartney
- 1997: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Humphreys Concerts By The Bay, San Diego
- 1977: US album release: The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl
- 1976: Wings live: The Summit, Houston
- 1973: UK album release: Red Rose Speedway by Paul McCartney and Wings
- 1969: Ringo Starr, John Lennon and Paul McCartney attend a wrap party for The Magic Christian
- 1967: Mixing: Magical Mystery Tour
- 1965: Filming: Help!
- 1964: John and Cynthia Lennon, George Harrison and Pattie Boyd fly to Tahiti
- 1962: The Beatles live: Star-Club, Hamburg
- 1961: The Beatles live: Top Ten Club, Hamburg
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
what a dump
The details are incorrect. Cadbury sold it for 145,000 in 1964 but Lennon bought it for more than that ($360,000, or around 223,000 pounds). Cadbury sold it to the Blindell family in 1964, who sold it to Lennon in 1969 for a handsome profit.