Spectator Crossword N0. 2681 By La...
Crosswords0 min ago
George Harrison lived in some sort of fortress
00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001 | People & Places
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A.� Sadly, no. The Gothic folly Friar Park failed miserably as a fortress, which a knife-wielding intruder broke into on 30 December, 1999. He stabbed George (click here for�AnswerBank tribute)�before being knocked out by George's wife Olivia.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
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Q.� What's its history
A.� Friar Park, in Henley, Oxfordshire, was commissioned by the Victorian eccentric Sir Frank Crisp in 1896 -�the�pride and joy�of another rich man who wanted an outlet for his money. One of its most notable feature was an unrivalled collection of garden gnomes (some of whom were featured on the cover of Harrison's 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass). The 120-room house is an extravagant piece of Gothic revival architecture with turrets, towers and gargoyles set in 30 acres of gardens.
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Q.� When did�George buy it
A.� In 1971, just after the Beatles had split. He paid �200,000 for it. The house was home to a convent of nuns and the spectacular network of subterranean passageways, waterfalls, lakes and five caverns had all but gone to ruin.
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Q.� And he restored it
A.� Yes - he spent millions restoring Crisp's dreams to their former glory, including the caverns where he had displayed the gnomes. The topiary garden, with lifesize animals made from tin, and an Alpine rock garden with a model of the Matterhorn built from 7,000 tons of imported Yorkshire stone, was also restored. Guests can row across the ground's lakes to view the five caves, each with a different theme. One is filled with skeletons and mirrors, another features glass bunches of grapes. As well as the gnomes, Harrison also paid tribute to Friar Park's builder on All Things Must Pass with the song The Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp.
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Q.� And can the public see this
A.� Absolutely not. George was a stickler for his privacy. The nearest you can see from the road is the charming gatehouse (pictured here), which Harrison is said to have restored for fans to pose outside. The main house is shielded from public view behind razor wire and a 6ft wooden fence around the circumference. Closed-circuit television cameras guard the remote-controlled iron gates. Harrison �employed his two brothers, Peter and Harry, to manage the estate and until recently Harry lived in one of the three gate lodges.
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Q.� What happened during the attack
A.� A twisted Beatle fan named Michael Abrams broke into the house believing himself to be on 'a mission from God' to murder Harrison. Harrison's first reaction on seeing the intruder was to shout his 1960s peace mantra, Hare Krishna, in the hope of confusing him. As the two grappled at the foot of the main staircase, Abrams stabbed Harrison four times in the body. 'I felt my chest deflate and the flow of blood to my mouth,' Harrison said later. 'I truly thought I was dying.'
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Q.� He fought him off
A.� No, George's wife Olivia came to his rescue. She went for Abrams with a poker and the base of a lamp while her husband lay, bleeding and helpless, on the ground. The police then arrived. Abrams was ordered by a court to be detained indefinitely. It still astounds me that Mrs Harrison wasn't publicly honoured for her bravery.
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Q.� A quiet life after that
A.� Sadly, George never really got over that attack. He had been suffering from throat cancer and then lung cancer. His search for treatment and peace took him away from his beloved Friars Park - to Hawaii, Switzerland and to Los Angeles, where he died at a friend's home from a brain tumour. His final message to the world was: Love one another.
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by Steve Cunningham
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