About Friar Park

Friar Park is a fantastic estate northwest of London. The historical property was made famous as home of former Beatle, George Harrison between 1970 till his death in 2001. The 120-room mansion was built in Victorian neo-Gothic style end of the 19th century. Friar Park has extensive gardens and water features such as caves, grottoes, underground passages, and a multitude of garden gnomes.

In 1972, Harrison installed a recording studio in the home where he made several of his records including Dark Horse, Living In The Material World and Cloud Nine. The album cover photograph for his debut solo album All Things Must Pass was shot on the lush gardens of the estate. While the 2011 re-issue boasted with vibrant colours, the original cover for the 1970 release was a black-and-white photo, showing Harrison sitting on a stool among the quiet, foggy lawns of Friar Park, flanked by a handful gnomes.

The mansion was largely open to the public, until the murder of John Lennon in December 1980. Shortly afterwards, the gates of Friar Park were locked and several security features such as razor-wire fences and video cameras were installed. Unfortunately, despite all these measures, an intruder, broke into the residence in the early hours of 30 December 1999. He attacked Harrison and his wife Olivia, leaving him with numerous stab wounds and a punctured lung. He recovered, but died on 29 November 2001 from cancer. Today, Olivia Harrison still lives here.