“Early in January we moved in with our few bits of furniture, clothes and Julian’s toys. My mother came with us to help us settle in. There was nothing but a cooker and a fridge already in the flat. It was dingy and needed furnishing and redecorating. While the decorators transformed the rooms, I shopped until I dropped, pushing Julian’s pram round Barker’s of Kensington and Derry and Tom’s, two smart department stores, choosing furniture, bed linen, pots and pans, china, cushion and curtains.
“[…]However, the flat was not without drawbacks. It was at the top of three, each built over two floors. There were six flights of dark narrow stairs to climb to get to our front door - not easy with a baby, a pram and an armload of shopping. I had to leave the pram at the bottom, carry Julian up, park him somewhere safe, then go back down for the shopping.” [Cynthia, John]
Cynthia with baby Julian in his pram, on the steps of 13 Emperors Gate, dated as 13th January 1964. The Lennon family had just moved here, to a 3 bedroom flat, above where photographer Robert Freeman and his wife, Sonny lived. If the date is correct, the day after these photos were taken, John would leave for Paris to play an 18 day season.