Emperor's Gate
“Everything changed again a few weeks later when the fans
discovered our address. We woke one morning to find teenage girls, with
the de rigueur beehive hairstyle and black eyeliner, camped on the
pavement outside. After that they were always there, day and night. If
any of the residents in the flats accidentally left the front door open
they would grab their chance and slip-in. We’d fine them camped on the
lino in the hallways, with sleeping bags and Thermos flasks.
Inside the flat we were fine. With the fans down in the street
below we felt safe and peaceful several floors up. But once the fans
discovered us it was clear that we couldn’t stay there for long and we
wondered where we could go to escape the attention.”
-Cynthia Lennon
In 1964 the house directly across from Lennon's flat in Emperor's Gate was used as a hostel, mainly for young men working in the Civil Service and by that I mean ordinary working class young lads mainly in their teens or early twenties, it was very basic and it was a bit weird to discover that such a famous guy was living opposite.
ReplyDeleteIn 1964 I lived at 9 Emperor's Gate for a few months. John and Cynthia Lennon lived nearly opposite me and I remember the number 14 outside their place because it was even-numbered and number 9 was odd-numbered. I met both John and Cynthia. Cynthia would brush the door entrance at least twice a week. There were often about 12 girls patiently waiting outside the front door. There was always a big silver Riley parked outside the Emperor's Gate entrance which must have belonged to John, who would exit the building on the main road on the other side.
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