The Trip to London

Liverpool is known as the City of the Beatles and always will be. But here, there and everywhere are places associated with the Fab Four. London is one such place. Beatles Ireland member Se Smith investigates.

Hello Beatle People! Well Derek and Pete have finally wrapped my rubber arm around my back with regards to writing an article For the club magazine. This also gives me the chance to tell all those people who’ve been to Liverpool but not London, exactly what they’re missing.

Not much, because regardless of what you think "London is Sxxt"! If however it is just The Beatles you are after then read on because this is a classic glass onion (see how the other half lives).

Recently I went to stay with a friend on the cool arty house boat on the Thames in Richmond, Richmond being the place where John and George discovered the Blues via the Stones and where to this day Mick Jagger still lives.

It is also, strangely enough the place where they wear son glasses at night and if you’re not a somebody you don’t belong in this pact of town. Needless to say, we were on the river so were immune from all the Poll Tax and the snobs.

We stayed on boat No.5A Ducks Walk. Much to my surprise and no word of a lie, at No.6A is where The Beatles had their second last photo shoot with Linda McCartney. Apparently they rowed a small boat out to a little island that was just across from us and took some pictures.

Some of you may recall seeing a photo of The Beatles against John’s white Roller in a car park. This place was just down the road a bit and apart from the fact that the trees have grown a lot the area has still not built onto. The car park was once a pub in the mid-sixties before been burned down in 1968.

Although The Beatles generally kept to the ‘Bag o’ Nails’ and a few select clubs in Central London, it is possible that they visited this club. Hence the fact they knew where to park the car for the photo.

All the above places are mentioned in The Beatles London Guide but I do warn you, Richmond is in Twickenham and these places are very much off the beaten track.

We were just fortunate to be staying there and not far from us again was Twickenham Film Studios where ‘Let it Be’ and some of ‘Help’ was filmed. You can’t really see much of it and you are not allowed in but you can travel about 400 yards up the road to the houses they used in ‘Help’.

I wondered as I stood outside, do the residents realise the significance of them? Literally around the corner is where John and Ringo posted a letter in ‘Help’. No post box there now of course. Just down the road is the place where Ringo weighted himself and nearly lost a finger.

Houses have all been built where those shops were and a bit from there is the pub Ringo went to in ‘Hard Day’s Night’ and beside it is the function rooms where an after party was held for the cast and crew.

Well I could go on but Derek might get very upset, however there are a few places worth a visit. Abbey Road of course, the home of most of the music you listen to. Cavendish Avenue, once home to Paul and now home to daughter Mary.

Marylebone Station, scene of the train and telephone boxes sequences from ‘Hard Day’s Night’. Saville Row (the rooftop they played on) and finally my favourite spot Chiswick Park, where the promo for ‘Rain’ was shot in colour. The statues and concrete structures that The Beatles sat on are still there to be seen. So now folks when you go, you may now be better informed about Beatles London from someone who has been there.

Whatever you get from this article I hope it’s a laugh if nothing else. Don’t start sending letters to Ducks Walk as I don’t think my friend would be too impressed with sacks of letters from little Beatle people, so play it a bit cool as they say in swinging London.

Se Smith

P.S. My band ‘Revolver’ are now available for engagements for all your Weddings and Funerals. Black suits available on request.

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