14 photos showing John Lennon's links to Scotland on 42nd anniversary of his assassination
In a letter written shortly before his death, John Lennon said he longed for Scotland more than his native England.
The late music icon had a deep affection for Scotland that persisted long after he left for New York in the early 1970s.
As a young boy, the future Beatle would often travel up from Liverpool to come and stay with his aunt and uncle in their terraced house in upmarket Murrayfield before heading up north to the family croft in Durness.
John even continued to visit at the height of Beatlemania; residing at his cousin Stan’s house in Currie after a famous Beatles show at Edinburgh’s ABC cinema in 1964.
Lennon’s last trip to Scotland in 1969 ended with an unexpected stay at the Lawson Memorial Hospital near Golspie. He had been travelling north in an Austin Maxi with wife Yoko, his son Julian and Yoko’s daughter Kyoko, when the car crashed near Loch Eriboll in Sutherland. All except Julian required stitches.
On the 42th anniversary of his tragic death, we take a look at 14 places north of the border that have a link to John Lennon.
As a young boy, the future Beatle would often travel up from Liverpool to come and stay with his aunt and uncle in their terraced house in upmarket Murrayfield before heading up north to the family croft in Durness.
9. Bryce Crescent, Currie
Bryce Crescent in the Edinburgh suburb of Currie, where John's cousin Stan Parkes lived in the 1960s. John spent the night here after a Beatles show at the Capital's ABC cinema in April 1964. Photo: Geograph/Creative Commons
10. ABC Lothian Road, Edinburgh
Lord Provost Duncan Weatherstone with the Beatles before their show at the ABC cinema (now an Odeon) in Edinburgh in April 1964. L-R: Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison. Photo: Unknown
11. Alloa Town Hall
Alloa Town Hall, where the Beatles, then named the Silver Beetles, played their first ever show in front of an audience, supporting singer Johnny Gentle, in May 1960. Photo: Creative Commons
12. St Andrew Square Bus Station
On one trip to Edinburgh in the late 1950s, John is said to have been given a harmonica by a bus driver who took it from the lost and found box at St Andrew Square Bus Station. The harmonica is thought to have been used on the Beatles' early hits including Love Me Do. Photo: Unknown