Latest news with #OliviaHarrison
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Sorry, but there's nothing as tasty as fried bacon
Could Barbara Stewart-Knox explain how, by stopping buying or eating meat, I would not be 'compromising on flavour' (Letters, 23 May)? I certainly would not like to buy expensive, additive-filled plant-based meat alternatives – and nothing tastes quite like roast chicken or fried LavenderNottingham Elon Musk's recent absence from Trump world (Whatever happened to Elon Musk? Tech boss drifts to margins of Trump world, 25 May) provides us with the latest example of the proverb: 'If you are invited to dine with hyenas, beware; you are likely to end up as the last course.'Christopher HouseHertford In the interview with Alan Alda ('My mother didn't try to stab my father until I was six': Alan Alda on childhood, marriage and 60 years of stardom, G2, 26 May), his wife, Arlene, is reported as saying that the secret of a long marriage is 'a short memory'. When the author Olivia Harrison was asked the secret of a long marriage, she replied: 'You don't get divorced.'Margaret CoupeBuxton, Derbyshire Tim Gossling (Letters, 23 May) suggests painting an errant tortoise's postcode on its back so it can be returned home. My grandfather, a policeman, painted 'Police' on the back of his tortoise so it was delivered to the nearest police station when it AffordTeignmouth, Devon Paul Copas (Letters, 26 May) regrets Lucy Mangan's failure to use the semicolon in her Digested week column. She more than makes up for that in her review of the Jane Austen documentary (26 May): five semicolons in one HollowsHyde, Cheshire Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Son of Beatles legend George Harrison wins bid to develop his late father's sprawling country estate
The son of Beatles legend George Harrison has won planning permission to develop his late father's estate. Grammy award-winning musician Dhani Harrison, 46, applied to the council to build a new property at Friar Park in Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. The former home of the Beatles star was said to have inspired his first solo album after the Fab Four split, titled All Things Must Pass, which features tracks including My Sweet Lord and What Is Life. Another track on the album called The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll), is a nod to Friar Park's former owner. Sir Frank Crisp was a Victorian-era lawyer, horticulturist and noted eccentric who dotted the estate with slogans such as 'Don't keep off the grass', 'The answer's at the end' and 'Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass'. A photograph taken on the main lawn at Friar Park featuring the guitarist surrounded by four gnomes - thought by many to represent each member of the band - was used as the album cover. Dhani's plans include amendments to previous consent granted to George's widow Olivia Harrison four years ago to build a home on a disused tennis court at Friar Park. They include amendments to the detailing, the addition of a plant room - in a nod to George and Olivia's love for gardening - and adjustments to the windows and openings. In approving the application, South Oxfordshire District Council planners wrote: 'The amended proposal continues to comply with the relevant Development Plan policies and national planning guidance. 'The District Council is satisfied that the proposed development is of an appropriate scale and design within the context of the site and that the scheme would preserve the overall character of the registered park and garden, the setting of Friar Park and the character and appearance of the Henley Conservation Area. 'There are no overriding landscape, ecological, amenity or highway safety issues.' Friar Park has been the Harrison famil home for decades and was also where George miraculously survived being stabbed 40 times by paranoid schizophrenic Michael Abram under the belief he was the Antichrist. The approval notice added: 'The currently proposed changes are generally minor cosmetic alterations. 'No significant changes are proposed to the siting or overall scale of the approved development. 'The changes to the approved plans, when considered individually and cumulatively, would not compromise the design quality of the original scheme. 'Moreover, the overall character of the registered park and garden and the setting of Friar Park will not be harmed by the current proposal.' Planning permission was granted four years ago to Olivia for a new two bedroom oak framed home on the site of a disused tennis court. It included a kitchen diner, lounge, utility and music room on the ground floor and two bedrooms, two bathrooms and two further rooms on the first floor. Some of the planned alterations now given approval include adding three dragon finials - said to bring good luck and which could also be a novel reference to St George and the Dragon. Other changes include removing a clock tower, changing square windows to round ones and adding French doors. In a statement to support the application, representatives for Harrison wrote: 'When granting permission for the dwelling, South Oxfordshire District Council evaluated the potential impact of the new dwelling and determined that the development is suitable for its location within the Grade II Listed grounds of the Grade II listed Friar Park. 'The council concluded that the size, scale, and design of the permitted dwelling would not detract from the heritage assets, the Henleyon Thames Conservation Area or Friar Park. 'This application addresses the alterations to the dwelling that differ from the approved plans. 'The changes primarily concern the details of the windows and minor modifications to the building's elevations. 'These alterations would not result in significant alterations that would have an adverse impact on the Henley-on-Thames Conservation Area, the Grade II listed Friar Park or the Grade II Listed Park and Garden. 'The development's location remains unchanged, situated in an area of the grounds that provides minimal visibility and intervisibility with the existing dwelling and the value of the park and garden. 'Furthermore, these changes do not affect the designed views within the setting of Friar Park.' Friar Park, a palatial Victorian neo-Gothic mansion rumoured to have 120 rooms, was just a week away from being bulldozed when it was bought by Harrison in January 1970 when he was aged 27. The 62-acre estate had been completed in 1895 for wealthy lawyer Sir Frank who spent a fortune creating exquisite landscaped gardens and elegant architectural elements - including a 23,000-tonne scale model of the Matterhorn. After Sir Frank's death in 1919 the gardens fell into disrepair before being returned to their former glory by George and Olivia who were captivated by the estate's beauty and peacefulness. The gardens at Friar Park are now considered to be some of Britain's finest and include quirky Victorian 'dad jokes' carved into brickwork, according to Dhani. It was at Friar Park in 1999 where George was stabbed 40 times by Michael Abram, a paranoid schizophrenic from Liverpool who believed the Beatle was the Antichrist. George and Olivia were awoken by the break in before he wrestled Abram to the floor while chanting Hare Krishna mantras. The attack only ended after Olivia smashed a lamp over 34-year-old Abram's head. Abram was sentenced to life in a secure hospital unit for the attack. George, who miraculously survived the stabbing, suffered several serious injuries including a deflated lung. Following his father's death from cancer in November 2001, Dhani helped finish George's final album Brainwashed, with the help of Electric Light Orchestra's Jeff Lynne - with whom he is touring with this summer.
