The schoolboy who met The Beatles

by Jason Cornthwaite

It is over 40 years since the famous Liverpudlians visited Knole Park to film some of their best known videos and film scenes. One lucky schoolboy was there to witness it. On February 7th 1967, Julian Joseph Sylvester, a 14 year-old schoolboy from Sevenoaks, managed to get hold of a bottle of champagne, last touched by John Lennon. Here is Julian’s story of that eventful day:

“It was a games afternoon but I was off games due to some ailment and had the afternoon free. It was rumoured that The Beatles were in Knole Park which the school grounds back onto so I thought I would go and take a look.”

“Sure enough, there they were making, as it now turns out, the first promo pop film for their double A-sided single Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields. The Beatles were riding around on horses, pouring paint over a piano and jumping from a branch of dead trees with Lennon singing ‘Hey hey we’re the Monkees’.”

“As can still be seen on the Penny Lane video the bottle was in an ice bucket on a table with a white tablecloth and candelabras. The four rode up on their horses, dismounted and approached the table. Lennon picked up the bottle and poured for the other three. They were brought their instruments by liveried pages. The Beatles then got up from the table which was overturned by Lennon and McCartney, the bottle was thrown to the ground which is where I retrieved it from.”

“During breaks in the filming, starting with Lennon I got them to sign the bottle’s label which was not to easy as it was still damp from the ice bucket and also on a curved surface but, they seemed happy to oblige me. I was leaving Ringo until last but unfortunately I never got him to sign and all these years later can’t remember why he never did. Maybe I just ran out of opportunity.”

“They each had a black Mini Cooper S with blacked out windows which they left the park in at the end of the day. Separately as I recall.”

The full article is available over at the BBC News website.

Jason Cornthwaite is an expert on authenticating Beatles memorabilia and works for memorabilia specialists Tracks in England.