There is not a place I can think of that has as much history within it’s walls as this flat on 34 Montagu Square, London W1H2LJ.

 

Here is a a few facts about 34 Montagu Square…

  • Ringo Starr leased 34 Montagu in 1965, but soon after, Ringo moved to a home outside London with his wife Maureen.  He still decided to keep the lease.

  • So Paul McCartney installed recording equipment in the flat, planning to use the place as a studio hideaway.  He wrote several Beatles songs there including “Eleanor Rigby,” but eventually gave up the flat.

Ringo Starr Paul McCartney Montagu Square

  • When Paul no longer needed it Ringo let it out to Jimi Hendrix and his manager Chas Chandler in December 1966.  Hendrix penned “The Wind Cries Mary” at the flat.  Starr evicted them after just four months because they painted all the rooms black.

 

  • When John Lennon and Yoko Ono first got together in 1968, he moved out of the Kenwood home he shared with wife Cynthia Lennon.  John & Yoko then moved into 34 Montagu while The Beatles were recording the White Album.”  It was the first of many homes that the couple shared.

 

  • It was the location where Lennon & Ono were photographed nude cover for their “Two Virgins” album.

  • It is also the location of the the infamous Sergeant Pilcher drug bust of John & Yoko in October 1968,  that would put them both in court facing drug charges for cannabis.

The ground/lower ground apartment  has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a reception room.  These days, it’s the property of a music label owner.

On October 23, 2010 Yoko Ono unveiled The English Heritage blue plaque at 34 Montagu Square in Marylebone, London.  Yoko said, “This particular flat has many memories for me and is a very interesting part of our history.”

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