Handel and Hendrix - neighbours in London

Music lovers in London have a wealth of options when it comes to visiting historical locations. Top of many people’s list, to judge from the ever-present crowds nowadays, is the crossing on Abbey Road in St. John’s Wood, made famous on the cover of the 1969 Beatles album. I wrote about my association with Abbey Road here…

23 and 25 Brook St.

This year, I paid a visit to the specially restored residences of George Frideric Handel and Jimi Hendrix, two musical geniuses who lived next door to each other, 200 years apart.

Handel lived in the four-storey terrace at 25 Brook Street, Mayfair from 1723 until his death in 1759. In 1968, Jimi Hendrix moved into an adjoining top-floor flat at number 23. He described it as “the only home I ever had".

Handel had moved to London in 1713, with Royal patronage and lived there for the rest of his life. Having established himself in English society, Handel took a lease on the house at 25 Brook Street in 1723.

Set in the heart of Mayfair, the poshest address in London, the Handel house is a splendid example of how a prosperous artist could live in relative comfort 250 years ago.

The decoration and furnishings are true to the period. A great deal of pride has been taken in the restoration, from the basement kitchen to the loft.

Here, in 1741, Handel composed his most famous work, Messiah. The exhibits at Brook Street include his harpsichord and manuscripts, along with a display of costumes, wigs and other personal items.

Accounts of the time show that the house was used frequently for recitals. Handel also had staff living in the loft rooms, with a kitchen/scullery in the basement (or the lower ground floor in estate agent speak).  

The recreation of the house as it had been in the 18th century was greatly helped by the comprehensive inventory of his belongings that Handel created, right down to kitchen utensils.

Although none of Handel's original furniture has been found, pieces have been placed in the rooms which adhere as closely as possible to the inventory. The large full tester bed with its crimson hangings has been reconstructed, using a period bed. 

Handel also owned an extensive art collection. By the end of his life he possessed over 80 paintings and prints.

After periods of ill health and failing eyesight, Handel died at his home in Brook Street in April 1759 at the age of 74. In his will Handel left bequests to his servants, the Foundling Hospital and a number of charities. He also bequeathed £600 for his funeral and a memorial in Westminster Abbey, where he was buried.

The Jimi Hendrix flat is a more modest abode.

His girlfriend Kathy Etchingham said, "It wasn’t very grand, though the carpets and curtains were quite expensive. It was just right for a couple. 

"Jimi loved being able to go out and buy cigarettes or whatever and even if people recognised him they would not bother him. He could walk to the clubs with me and sometimes we went on the Tube. We went ice-skating at Queensway and lived a normal life."

The Brook Street location was perfect for Jimi, giving him proximity to the vibrant scene of clubs and music venues that had been a familiar environment for him in New York's Greenwich Village.

In this flat, Jimi and Kathy were close to the West End and Soho. Their social circle consisted mainly of music business people. Kathy worked as a DJ at the top clubs in London, such as the Cromwellian in South Kensington and the Scotch of St. James. So, while Chas Chandler was Jimi's manager and knew many of the British musicians, Kathy also knew the groups because they came to the clubs, and was able to introduce Jimi to the scene in London.

As she put it, "Everyone in the business knew everyone else and socialised together." 

When Chas brought Jimi over from New York, they arrived at the Scotch on the first night, and a fight broke out; nothing to do with Jimi, who had already begun chatting up Kathy. 

Chas was concerned that the police might come in to the club and told Kathy to get Jimi away from the trouble, because he didn't yet have a visa. They went back to his hotel near Hyde Park.

In December '66, the couple moved into Ringo Starr's flat at 34 Montagu Square, occupying the basement flat, with Chas and his fiancee Lotte on the ground floor. This is where Hendrix composed The Wind Cries Mary, after an argument with Kathy.

As Kathy remembers, they were both hot-headed at times and neither would back away from an argument. She went out for a walk and when she returned, he had written the words:

After all the jacks are in their boxes
And the clowns have all gone to bed
You can hear happiness
Staggering on down the street
Footprints dressed in red
And the wind whispers
"Mary"

It became the second hit single for The Jimi HendrixExperience.

There is now a blue plaque outside 34 Montagu Square, but not for Jimi. It's for John Lennon, who lived there after Jimi, when he began his relationship with Yoko Ono.

Jimi and Kathy Etchingham at Brook Street

In July 1968, Jimi and Kathy finally found a place they could call home, at 23 Brook Street. They occupied the top two floors of the house, where they could hide away if they wanted. "It was not as busy as you might think. Jimi and I both valued our privacy".

The flat at 23 is now accessed from an upper floor of the Handel house. The living room and bedroom have been assembled to look how they would have looked when Jimi lived there, as well as housing a permanent exhibition about his life and musical legacy in the back rooms.

Although not as extensive as the house next door, the recreation of the living room was so accurate, Kathy said she felt disoriented when she attended the official opening of the flat in 2016, like she'd been transported back in time.

The attention to detail includes period dial phones, ashtrays, rugs, throws, an old radio, acoustic guitar, written lyrics and a tape recorder. 

There's a record player, amp and vintage 1960s stereo speakers, along with facsimiles of Jimi's actual record collection, including albums by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Cash, Frank Zappa and, naturally, Handel.