#friar park
“I never had a brother, and George [Harrison] was how I felt a brother to be. He loved to make you happy, to see your expression when he showed you stuff that meant something to him, like walking in the garden and showing you a plant of which he knew the Latin name. Even in the garden, he was such an artist. It was so pretty, and he liked to share these things. He was so easy to be around, and he had this mischievous glint in his eye yet never harmful. Such a sense of humour. Once when Ringo, George, and I were sitting in his garden, George said ‘Let’s all grow old together and live in a great big house.’ I felt that’s what would happen. To wake up at Friar Park to a cup of tea and a slice of lemon cake, to play with George was magic.”
- Jim Keltner,Mojo magazine (Nov. 2014)
George Harrison Invited Me To Live With Him
NOTE: This is a great video where Kevin Harrington, now famously known as the guy with ginger hair in Get Back, describes what it was like living in Friar Park when George and Pattie first moved there.
“George was a humanitarian. He was lovely – he really was lovely. I felt an affection for George mainly because when I first started with them on the double White Album, I sort of walked in [and] my second night – the first night I was invited in just by Mal [Evans] because I’d done this shopping thing. So the night I actually did start with them, I’m like hiding – sort of standing by this box on a stand which I now know is called the monitor, and George is just sitting on the floor playing the guitar or whatever. Everybody’s sort of getting their stuff together, and he just said, ‘Kevin, come over. Sit down, tell me all about yourself.’ That chilled me out a lot.” - Kevin Harrington
Dear Alf,
Thank you very much for the gift of trees at Christmas – it was very kind of you. We shall plant them as soon as the frost is over with. We were all sorry you couldn’t make it up here for the party with the Gardeners but considering how cold it was – I think it was best to stay home out of it. Take care of yourself and don’t forget you are welcome if you can get out when the weather is better: you must try to see the garden in spring – it should be good with all the bulbs we have planted. bye for now – love from George H. and all at Friar Park.
- A letter from George Harrison to Friar Park gardener “Mr. Alf Cooke”, undated.
