In 1969, John Lennon paid £145,000 for a 72-acre estate in Ascot, where he filmed himself playing “Imagine” on a white piano. Four years later he sold it to Ringo Starr, who sold it for £5 million to the president of the United Arab Emirates

In the summer of 1971, cameras were set up in a bright white room inside a Georgian mansion in Berkshire. The shutters were closed, the light was soft, and John Lennon sat at a white grand piano. As he played a new song called “Imagine,” Yoko Ono slowly opened the shutters, letting daylight fill the room.

That short film became one of the most famous music clips ever made. The house where it was shot, Tittenhurst Park near Ascot, has an unusual history of its own, passing from one Beatle to another and then to the ruler of a Gulf state.

A Georgian house with a long past

Tittenhurst Park sits on the edge of Sunningdale, near Ascot, about 25 miles west of central London. The main house dates back to 1737, though much of its exterior was remodeled in the early 19th century.

The estate covers about 72 acres of parkland and gardens. In the Victorian era, it was known for its rare trees and plants, and the gardens were open to visitors for many years. By the 1960s, it had passed through several owners, including Peter Cadbury, a member of the chocolate-making family.

Lennon and Ono move in

On May 4, 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono bought Tittenhurst Park. The price is usually given as £145,000, though some newspapers at the time reported £150,000. They moved in that August.

The couple then spent heavily on renovations, reportedly about twice the purchase price. They added a lake, redesigned the interiors, and built a recording studio in the grounds, which Lennon called Ascot Sound Studios.

Tittenhurst quickly became part of Beatles history. On August 22, 1969, the four Beatles gathered there for what turned out to be their last photo session together. The band broke up the following year.

Where “Imagine” was made

Lennon recorded much of his 1971 album Imagine in the studio at Tittenhurst. The title song became his best-known solo work.

The film of him playing it was shot in the house’s white room, decorated almost entirely in white. Lennon and Ono created a full-length film to accompany the album, and the piano scene became its most memorable moment. It’s still one of the most widely recognized images of Lennon.

Selling to a bandmate

In August 1971, Lennon and Ono moved to New York. They intended to stay in the United States, and Lennon never returned to England.

The house sat largely unused for two years. Then, in September 1973, Lennon sold Tittenhurst to his former bandmate Ringo Starr. Starr renamed the studio Startling Studios and later rented it out to other musicians. Def Leppard recorded their first album there.

Starr and his family lived at Tittenhurst for much of the next 15 years. He spent time abroad in the late 1970s, while the studio kept operating.

A royal buyer

In 1988, Starr sold Tittenhurst Park for about £5 million. The buyer was Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi.

Sheikh Zayed already owned property in Britain, and he bought another nearby estate, Ascot Place, soon after. He carried out major renovations at Tittenhurst, and the interiors were extensively changed. The white room Lennon made famous no longer looks as it did in 1971.

Sheikh Zayed died in 2004. The estate is reported to have remained with the Al Nahyan family, who have continued to expand and renovate it in recent years.

What it says about property and history

Tittenhurst’s story shows how quickly a house can change in value and meaning. In just under 20 years, it went from being a private Georgian estate to the home of two Beatles to a royal residence, with its price rising many times over.

It’s also a reminder that famous places don’t always stay open to fans. Tittenhurst Park is private, and the public cannot visit. For most people, the closest they’ll get is that short film from 1971, with Lennon at the white piano and sunlight coming through the shutters.