26th Sep, 2022 15:00

JOHN LENNON'S MOTHER'S FAMILY HOME – 1 BLOMFIELD ROAD, ALLERTON, L19 4UY

 
Lot 1
 

JOHN LENNON’S MOTHER'S FAMILY HOME – 1 BLOMFIELD ROAD, ALLERTON, L19 4UY

**Please note that you will require specific approval in advance to bid on this lot**

An incredible chance to purchase a hugely significant property in the history of The Beatles and their early days as The Quarrymen. This sale is for the former house of Julia Lennon, John Lennon's mother, at 1 Blomfield Road, Springwood, Liverpool, L19 4UY.

A large 3 bedroomed semi-detached property on a generous sized corner plot with gardens to front, side and rear of property.

HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY

From 1950 to 1958 John’s mother Julia and his sisters Julia and Jackie lived in the three-bedroom council house with his mum’s new partner John ‘Bobby’ Dykins.

Lennon lived with his aunt Mimi in nearby Menlove Avenue and was a frequent visitor to the house during the 1950’s, where he would often stay over.

In his later teenage years it was at the Blomfield Road house that Lennon’s first band the Quarrymen practised, with Paul McCartney being a frequent visitor from the Summer of 1957 onwards. He got on extremely well with Julia, as all of John’s mates did. This property played an important role in John's (and Paul's) development, being a place they could both escape to and practise without fear of complaints from neighbours or aunt Mimi.

According to John When I got older, big enough to go on the bus on my own, I saw her all the time. She became a sort of young aunt or big sister to me. When I started having the usual teenage rows with Mimi, I used to go live with my mother for the weekend.”

From 1956 to 1958 John and his fellow Quarrymen bandmates would regularly visit Blomfield Road to rehearse. As per Eric Griffiths (of The Quarrymen) "We used to skive off school, buy ten Woodbines and a bag of chips then go to Julia's house. She always let us in."

Pete Shotton (The QuarryMen): "We all loved (Julia) because she took nothing seriously, except having a good time. I remember her once walking up the road with us, wearing an old pair of spectacles with no lenses in. When we ran into someone we knew, she'd casually slip her finger through the frame and rub her eye, while we all fell about in the bushes cracking our sides."

From Julia Baird's book 'Imagine This' :

"John's visits to our house had never been regarded as 'special' in any way. They were simply part of everyday life. If Jacqui and I happened to be outside when he arrived, we simply shouted out 'Hi!' and carried on playing. He was there so often, his presence was a natural and familiar thing. He was simply our big brother who happened to have two homes. He often skipped school dinner and came to our house for lunch, sometimes with a friend or two.

I shall never forget the hilarious bathroom jam sessions she shared with the budding Beatles. The bathroom in our little house in Blomfield Road was probably one of the smallest in Britain. To see John, Paul, George, Pete Shotton, Ivan Vaughan, my mother and probably a couple of hangers-on scrambling around inside, trying to find a place to sit, was like a comedy act. They would be squeezed into the bath, perched on top of the loo seat, propped up against the handbasin, squatted on the floor, and standing with one leg up on the edge of the bath to support a guitar. Even getting the door closed was a feat. They sometimes went on for hours, letting rip into all those now classic tunes like 'Maggie May' 'Besame Mucho', 'Alleycat', and the theme music from The Third Man. My mother sometimes lined in on washboard, or playing percussion on an upturned Saucepan or a pair of saucepan lid cymbals.

The reason for their unusual venue was that the bathroom was the next best thing to a proper studio. The wall tiles and the linoleum on the floor were perfect insulation, not unlike studio soundproofing. The acoustic effect was magnificent, even better than on Mimi's front porch Those were the days!' Paul told me. We were really jammed in, couldn't move. Don't forget it wasn't only us in there, but al our instruments as well, and also a pig nose amplifier we carried around. It was the best room in the house, hands down. At home l used ours to practise in, too. When I actually had to go, I would lug my guitar in with me instead of a book. I remember my dad used to say, "Paul, what are you doing playing the guitar in the toilet?" And I'd reply, "Well, what's wrong with that then?" Many a fine tune has been written in that little room The boys suddenly turned up once for a music session while Jacqui and I were having our bath, and we were promptly hauled out. That meant we could go and play until the session was over. Postponing bedtime was obligatory. It would have been impossible for us to get to sleep with the noise.

Looking back, I realise we became a sort of refuge for John in his ever-increasing struggle to live with Mimi amicably. Mimi, the aunt, was forced into the role of the heavy-handed mother which allowed Julia, the mother, to become the ever-indulgent aunt. Besides, at heart, Julia was still almost a teenager herself who easily identified with John and his friends. "

Sadly on July 15, 1958, a 17-year-old Lennon answered the door of this property to a policeman who informed him his mother had been killed in a road accident. After his mother died the house was reclaimed by The Corporation once they discovered that Julia and Bobby were never married.

Afterwards, Lennon said: “It was awful, like some dreadful film where they ask you if you’re the victim’s son and all that. Well, I was, and I can tell you it was absolutely the worst night of my entire life.”

The star, who died in 1980, last visited the home in 1970 when he took wife Yoko Ono on a visit to his old Liverpool haunts. The couple drove up to the house in their white Rolls Royce and were shown around.

You can read more on the property and see more images via this link - http://beatlesliverpoollocations.blogspot.com/2016/10/home-from-home.html

PROPERTY DETAILS

Location: Blomfield Rd is located in Allerton, Liverpool. Transport links to the city centre are excellent, as well as the house being only a ten-minute walk to Mimi's house on Menlove Avenue.

The property is a spacious, three bedroom semi-detached house situated on a generous corner plot where Blomfield Road meets Caldwell Road.

As you enter the double gated driveway there is a large garden to the left of the property with mature hedges and shrubs. To the front of the house is a small garden with paved pathway which takes you to a porch and entrance to the property at the side of the house. A fenced gate then leads you into the rear garden which has a shed, large patio and tiered garden/patio with fencing all around.

Entering the property there are stairs to the left and a good sized reception room to the right hand side. A hallway then leads you into a large lounge/reception room on the right hand side with window to front of property and central fireplace. The kitchen is accessed via a door on the left of the hallway and also via another door in the lounge. The kitchen has large window overlooking the rear garden, has fitted units and a tiled floor that leads into a seperate room that houses the gas fired boiler which would make an ideal utility room. There is a rear PVC door that leads to the rear garden.

Heading up the stairs is a large landing leading to 3 good sized bedrooms, a seperate toilet and a bathroom with large shower and sink. The two front facing larger bedrooms each have internal cupboards.

The property is thought to include some original features including doors, cupboards and fittings which would have been there when Julia Lennon and her family were living at the property

IMPORTANT NOTE: Viewing will be by appointment only during the two-week period ahead of the auction. A legal pack including contract is available to view for all prospective bidders. Proof of funds and bidding deposit will also be required prior to being approved to bid.

BUYERS PREMIUM: Significantly reduced for this lot to 2% plus VAT (2.4% inclusive). Buyers will also need to factor in the legal costs of purchasing the property along with any other costs as set out in the legal pack.

OTHER CHARGES PAYABLE BY THE BUYER: seller's legal fees & seller's disbursements associated with the sale (eg Official Copy entries, filed plan and associated documents). Approx £1,000+VAT.

Omega Auctions will assist the buyer as much as possible throughout the buying process.

EXCHANGE OF CONTRACTS: As is standard with UK property auctions, legal exchange of contracts will occur on the fall of the hammer and a 10% Property Deposit plus the Buyer Premium is payable immediately after the auction. Completion is required within 20 working days of the sale date.

Click here to view video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsnAPnB_yOs

Sold for £174,000

Hammer Price


 

**Please note that you will require specific approval in advance to bid on this lot**

An incredible chance to purchase a hugely significant property in the history of The Beatles and their early days as The Quarrymen. This sale is for the former house of Julia Lennon, John Lennon's mother, at 1 Blomfield Road, Springwood, Liverpool, L19 4UY.

A large 3 bedroomed semi-detached property on a generous sized corner plot with gardens to front, side and rear of property.

HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY

From 1950 to 1958 John’s mother Julia and his sisters Julia and Jackie lived in the three-bedroom council house with his mum’s new partner John ‘Bobby’ Dykins.

Lennon lived with his aunt Mimi in nearby Menlove Avenue and was a frequent visitor to the house during the 1950’s, where he would often stay over.

In his later teenage years it was at the Blomfield Road house that Lennon’s first band the Quarrymen practised, with Paul McCartney being a frequent visitor from the Summer of 1957 onwards. He got on extremely well with Julia, as all of John’s mates did. This property played an important role in John's (and Paul's) development, being a place they could both escape to and practise without fear of complaints from neighbours or aunt Mimi.

According to John When I got older, big enough to go on the bus on my own, I saw her all the time. She became a sort of young aunt or big sister to me. When I started having the usual teenage rows with Mimi, I used to go live with my mother for the weekend.”

From 1956 to 1958 John and his fellow Quarrymen bandmates would regularly visit Blomfield Road to rehearse. As per Eric Griffiths (of The Quarrymen) "We used to skive off school, buy ten Woodbines and a bag of chips then go to Julia's house. She always let us in."

Pete Shotton (The QuarryMen): "We all loved (Julia) because she took nothing seriously, except having a good time. I remember her once walking up the road with us, wearing an old pair of spectacles with no lenses in. When we ran into someone we knew, she'd casually slip her finger through the frame and rub her eye, while we all fell about in the bushes cracking our sides."

From Julia Baird's book 'Imagine This' :

"John's visits to our house had never been regarded as 'special' in any way. They were simply part of everyday life. If Jacqui and I happened to be outside when he arrived, we simply shouted out 'Hi!' and carried on playing. He was there so often, his presence was a natural and familiar thing. He was simply our big brother who happened to have two homes. He often skipped school dinner and came to our house for lunch, sometimes with a friend or two.

I shall never forget the hilarious bathroom jam sessions she shared with the budding Beatles. The bathroom in our little house in Blomfield Road was probably one of the smallest in Britain. To see John, Paul, George, Pete Shotton, Ivan Vaughan, my mother and probably a couple of hangers-on scrambling around inside, trying to find a place to sit, was like a comedy act. They would be squeezed into the bath, perched on top of the loo seat, propped up against the handbasin, squatted on the floor, and standing with one leg up on the edge of the bath to support a guitar. Even getting the door closed was a feat. They sometimes went on for hours, letting rip into all those now classic tunes like 'Maggie May' 'Besame Mucho', 'Alleycat', and the theme music from The Third Man. My mother sometimes lined in on washboard, or playing percussion on an upturned Saucepan or a pair of saucepan lid cymbals.

The reason for their unusual venue was that the bathroom was the next best thing to a proper studio. The wall tiles and the linoleum on the floor were perfect insulation, not unlike studio soundproofing. The acoustic effect was magnificent, even better than on Mimi's front porch Those were the days!' Paul told me. We were really jammed in, couldn't move. Don't forget it wasn't only us in there, but al our instruments as well, and also a pig nose amplifier we carried around. It was the best room in the house, hands down. At home l used ours to practise in, too. When I actually had to go, I would lug my guitar in with me instead of a book. I remember my dad used to say, "Paul, what are you doing playing the guitar in the toilet?" And I'd reply, "Well, what's wrong with that then?" Many a fine tune has been written in that little room The boys suddenly turned up once for a music session while Jacqui and I were having our bath, and we were promptly hauled out. That meant we could go and play until the session was over. Postponing bedtime was obligatory. It would have been impossible for us to get to sleep with the noise.

Looking back, I realise we became a sort of refuge for John in his ever-increasing struggle to live with Mimi amicably. Mimi, the aunt, was forced into the role of the heavy-handed mother which allowed Julia, the mother, to become the ever-indulgent aunt. Besides, at heart, Julia was still almost a teenager herself who easily identified with John and his friends. "

Sadly on July 15, 1958, a 17-year-old Lennon answered the door of this property to a policeman who informed him his mother had been killed in a road accident. After his mother died the house was reclaimed by The Corporation once they discovered that Julia and Bobby were never married.

Afterwards, Lennon said: “It was awful, like some dreadful film where they ask you if you’re the victim’s son and all that. Well, I was, and I can tell you it was absolutely the worst night of my entire life.”

The star, who died in 1980, last visited the home in 1970 when he took wife Yoko Ono on a visit to his old Liverpool haunts. The couple drove up to the house in their white Rolls Royce and were shown around.

You can read more on the property and see more images via this link - http://beatlesliverpoollocations.blogspot.com/2016/10/home-from-home.html

PROPERTY DETAILS

Location: Blomfield Rd is located in Allerton, Liverpool. Transport links to the city centre are excellent, as well as the house being only a ten-minute walk to Mimi's house on Menlove Avenue.

The property is a spacious, three bedroom semi-detached house situated on a generous corner plot where Blomfield Road meets Caldwell Road.

As you enter the double gated driveway there is a large garden to the left of the property with mature hedges and shrubs. To the front of the house is a small garden with paved pathway which takes you to a porch and entrance to the property at the side of the house. A fenced gate then leads you into the rear garden which has a shed, large patio and tiered garden/patio with fencing all around.

Entering the property there are stairs to the left and a good sized reception room to the right hand side. A hallway then leads you into a large lounge/reception room on the right hand side with window to front of property and central fireplace. The kitchen is accessed via a door on the left of the hallway and also via another door in the lounge. The kitchen has large window overlooking the rear garden, has fitted units and a tiled floor that leads into a seperate room that houses the gas fired boiler which would make an ideal utility room. There is a rear PVC door that leads to the rear garden.

Heading up the stairs is a large landing leading to 3 good sized bedrooms, a seperate toilet and a bathroom with large shower and sink. The two front facing larger bedrooms each have internal cupboards.

The property is thought to include some original features including doors, cupboards and fittings which would have been there when Julia Lennon and her family were living at the property

IMPORTANT NOTE: Viewing will be by appointment only during the two-week period ahead of the auction. A legal pack including contract is available to view for all prospective bidders. Proof of funds and bidding deposit will also be required prior to being approved to bid.

BUYERS PREMIUM: Significantly reduced for this lot to 2% plus VAT (2.4% inclusive). Buyers will also need to factor in the legal costs of purchasing the property along with any other costs as set out in the legal pack.

OTHER CHARGES PAYABLE BY THE BUYER: seller's legal fees & seller's disbursements associated with the sale (eg Official Copy entries, filed plan and associated documents). Approx £1,000+VAT.

Omega Auctions will assist the buyer as much as possible throughout the buying process.

EXCHANGE OF CONTRACTS: As is standard with UK property auctions, legal exchange of contracts will occur on the fall of the hammer and a 10% Property Deposit plus the Buyer Premium is payable immediately after the auction. Completion is required within 20 working days of the sale date.

Click here to view video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsnAPnB_yOs

Auction: JOHN LENNON'S MOTHER'S FAMILY HOME – 1 BLOMFIELD ROAD, ALLERTON, L19 4UY, 26th Sep, 2022

Viewing

Contact us on office@omegaauctions.co.uk to arrange a viewing. 

View all lots in this sale

Images *

Drag and drop .jpg images here to upload, or click here to select images.


By submitting this enquiry, you authorise Omega Auctions to store this information to contact you regarding this enquiry. We will not use your data for any other purpose and it will not be supplied to any third party. For full details of our Privacy Policy, please click here. If you would like to receive future correspondence such as auction previews, auction highlights, invitations to consign or general newsletters, please sign up to our newsletter.