JULIAN PAYS FLYING VISIT TO GIBRALTAR

• Olive Press editor Jon Clarke meets Julian Lennon

AS a keen photographer there was no surprise that he spent so much of his time on the Rock snapping away.

But sadly Julian Lennon only had five hours to best conjure up his own image of the fascinating enclave where he currently has an exhibition running on his father John Lennon’s life.

At a gala lunch with First Minister Fabian Picardo at the top of the Rock in Monte Calpe Suites, he told Olive Press editor Jon Clarke, how much he had enjoyed the visit.

“It’s an amazing place and I definitely need to come back to appreciate it,” he said.

“You really feel on top of the world up here.”

Arriving by private jet, he spent five hours touring the enclave before taking a quick visit of the Beatles Memorabilia exhibition, which was put together with his mother Cynthia.

He revealed that the collection had come about because not many of his father’s belongings were handed down to him.

“When I started making some money after working hard myself in this industry, I decided to start collecting,” he explained. “Initially collecting more personal items – like the monkey bike (which is on display in the exhibition), items I remember being around at the time. Those I remember touching, feeling and knowing about those elements.”

He continued: “I started collecting the gold discs and a few other things, I think we now have the full American collection of gold discs, so for me it was important not just to have that just under my roof – so to speak – but so that should I have children in the future I could pass that on to them.”

Jovial in a white Dolce & Cabbana jacket and jeans, Julian was intrigued to hear about his father’s time spent in Almeria in the 1970s, where he famously wrote Strawberry Fields Forever.

“Is that right? I don’t know much about his time here, but I would definitely like to find out more,” he said.

The Beatles Memorabilia exhibition is on show in Casemates Square. 

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