Apology letter George Harrison sent to a fan set to be sold at auction
A handwritten apology letter sent by The Beatles guitarist George Harrison at the height of his fame is heading to auction in Lincolnshire.
The item was discovered during a house clearance in the town of Louth and belonged to a recently-deceased fan who formerly attended a private girl’s school in Surrey close to Harrison’s residence. Auctioneer James Laverack of John Taylors, explained to Lincolnshire Live: “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 historic Claremont Park Estate at Esher in Surrey in 1964.”
He continued: “The estate’s big house, an 18th century former Royal mansion just across the park, was then a private girl’s school and it was two of their pupils who arrived unannounced on Harrisons doorstep. It would seem they got a frosty reception from the woman who answered the door.”
Adding: “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. George Harrison’s letter to the mother of Claire Braham, one of the schoolgirls involved, calmed things down”.
“In the handwritten note, he explains 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. In addition, he wrote that ‘John’ had now signed Melanie’s book and she was welcome to call the following week to collect it. When the schoolgirl did call she not only got her book but an autographed photograph – and George posed with her for a snap.”
The item is expected to earn up to £3,000 when it goes to auction on March 14th. Meanwhile, an interview with Harrison from 1965 recently resurfaced, which features him waxing lyrical about his favourite songs of the era. His selections include the Otis Redding songs ‘My Girl’ and ‘I Can’t Turn You Loose’, as well as Bob Dylan’s ‘Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window’.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.