Beatles’ fan rebecca on Lennon project (From Keighley News)
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Beatles’ fan rebecca on Lennon project
10:10am Sunday 18th July 2010 in News By David Knights
History student Rebecca Lindley is seated on the right of the picture, with fellow students and tutor
A history student from Keighley had a Ticket to Ride to Liverpool on a Beatles-themed research project.
Rebecca Lindley wanted to Twist and Shout at the chance to accurately recreate John Lennon’s childhood garden.
This will be no Octopus’s Garden as Rebecca and fellow students ensure all the plants are authentic to the 1950s era.
Their work at the historic house has inspired Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, to send a message of congratulations.
Rebecca, a former Holy Family School student, was already a Beatles’ fan before taking on the assignment.
Yoko bought the house, Mendips, and in 2002 gave it to the National Trust, which returned the interior to its 1950s appearance.
The trust recently asked the University of Chester to carry out research so the garden would evoke the same era.
Rebecca, 20, and fellow modern history students Christina Asher, Richard Taylor, Thomas Davies and Matthew Jones took part.
They discovered modern plants that were not grown in the 1950s and researched how the garden would have looked for John and his Aunt Mimi.
Yoko learned about the work through the university’s website and sent a personal message to the five students and tutor Donna Jackson.
She wrote: “Thank you, thank you, thank you, to members of the Family of Peace and love of beauty.
“Thank you for working on the garden at Mendips. John and I thank you. With love, Yoko.”
The story has also been posted on to her own website imaginepeace.com. Rebecca got involved in the Mendips’ project because it was a great opportunity to work with the National Trust.
She said: “It’s a privilege to be able to work on John Lennon’s childhood home.”
Rebecca hopes after her studies to become either a historian or a teacher.
Simon Osborne, from the National Trust, said he was looking forward to seeing the results of the students’ work.
He said: “It will be instrumental in developing our plans for the reinstatement of the garden. It gives us valuable information that we would not otherwise have obtained.”
