The Apple Boutique

1968

The Apple boutique was opened 40 years ago, an event celebrated by BBC TV Newsnight’s current series remembering the 40th anniversaries of 1968. It was a landmark in hippy history – pioneering but a financially disastrous experiment in “designer” retailing set up by the Beatles.

Newsnight is marking the Apple Boutique’s 40th anniversary with a light projection on Baker Street. The programme has recreated the vast and controversial artwork that dominated the four-storey building in Baker Street, London. The light projection shows the original psychedelic mural. This is not a new idea, Paul McCartney thought of the same idea when neighbours protested about the building’s decoration in 1968. Other local businesses objected to the psychedelically-painted wall, and petitioned for it to be changed or wiped out altogether. Ultimately, the local businesses won on, with the mural removed by civic order. It was painted plain white.

For a moment The Beatles considered projecting the original psychedelic mural onto the white surface, from a projector in a building opposite the boutique, but it wasn’t to be. Wouldn’t have been very visible in daylight either, probably. On 31 July 2008, the Apple Boutique mural was projected onto the building by the BBC. A worthy celebration! Too bad the building now wasn’t white anymore, but natural brick-coloured. But a very cool idea, and it looks good on the photo we’ve seen,too!

2008