Flush of excitement as John Lennon’s toilet goes on display
The reveal was met with laughs, smiles and a comment of: ‘It’s John’s john.’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Beatles fans were flushed with excitement as John Lennon’s toilet went on display in a museum.
The porcelain loo, from Tittenhurst Park where Lennon lived with Yoko Ono from 1969 to 1971, was unveiled as the newest exhibit at the Liverpool Beatles Museum on Thursday.
It was loaned to the museum by Gary Honniball, who paid £1,000 for it at auction when Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan bought the estate in 1989 and sold its contents.
Museum owner Roag Best said: “He contacted us, told us that it was just sitting in his house, gathering dust, (and asked), ‘Would we like to put it on display in the museum?’
“We thought, ‘Well, it’s a bit quirky, it’s not what we’d normally display but who’s to say what you should and shouldn’t display, so, come on, we’ll give it a go’.”
The toilet bowl has a blue and white floral design.
Fans were invited to see the new exhibit but only found out it was Lennon’s toilet when it was unveiled.
The reveal was met with laughs, smiles and a comment of: “It’s John’s john.”
Two toilets were sold at auction from Tittenhurst Park, a 71-acre home sold to Ringo Starr after Lennon and Ono moved to New York.
Mr Best said the other toilet was sold more recently for £15,000.
The home in Sunninghill, Berkshire, was where Lennon composed Imagine.
Mr Best said: “I think visitors to the museum are going to think, ‘That’s really quirky,’ or ‘Are these guys mad?’
“But we like to do things outside the box so it fits in perfectly.
“It’s a very, very fancy loo and it’s possibly the most expensive loo in the country.”
The item joins a host of other memorabilia on display at the Mathew Street museum owned by Mr Best, who is the brother of the Beatles’ original drummer Pete.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.