Lot including George Harrison letter of apology to schoolgirl fans, £6100 at John Taylors.
James Laverack of John Taylors (18% buyer’s premium) in Louth, Lincolnshire, said: “The find chronicles a tiff in which the Beatle found himself entangled soon after moving into Kinfauns, the bungalow that he had bought on the Claremont Park Estate at Esher in Surrey in 1964.
“The estate’s big house, an 18th century former royal mansion just across the park, was then a private girls’ school and it was two of their pupils who arrived unannounced on Harrison’s doorstep.
“It would seem they got a frosty reception from the woman who answered the door. Not only did she make it clear to the girls that their visit was not welcome but she then telephoned the school to make a complaint – which is when the balloon rather went up. Messages were flying between the school, the parents and Kinfauns.”
Harrison’s letter to the mother of Claire Braham, one of the schoolgirls involved, calmed things down. He explained that it was a daily help who had phoned the school and that he had known nothing about it until the following day. He asked Mrs Braham to tell Claire that he was sorry – and sent her an autograph.
Photo appearance
Laverack said: “In addition he wrote that ‘John’ had now signed Melanie’s [the other girl] book and she was welcome to call the following week to collect it. When she did call she not only got her book but an autographed photograph – and George posed with her for a snap.
“Melanie died recently and it was during the clearance of her home in Louth that this extraordinary little cache of Beatles memorabilia was discovered – Harrison’s letter, the envelope in which it was sent, the autographed photograph and the snap of the Beatle and the schoolgirl at Kinfauns.”
The estimate for the lot was £2500-3000 in the March 14 auction.
