The Beatles’ granny chic
QUESTION What is the story of the 1960s boutique Granny Takes A Trip?
Granny Takes a Trip was a boutique that opened in February 1966 in the King’s road, Chelsea, then an unfashionable area of London known as World’s End.
It was founded by graphic designer nigel Waymouth and his girlfriend Sheila Cohen, and specialised in vintage clothes. He decked out the store as a psychedelic new Orleans bordello, decorated with blown-up risqué postcards. at the back of the shop was a Wurlitzer jukebox stocked with classic rock ’n’ roll records.
Cohen was a collector of Victorian and oriental clothes and was helped by John Pearse, a former Mod and apprentice tailor at Hawes & Curtis on Savile row.
The name Granny Takes a Trip outlined the shop’s approach — granny symbolised the vintage element and trip the hallucinogenic drugs favoured by hippies. Its label was a magic mushroom.
Pearse began by updating the clothes Cohen already owned. Soon, they were buying material from Liberty and adapting exotic, asian or floral William Morris designs to create dramatic shirts, skirts, dresses, jackets and trousers, which were famously tight.
The shop attracted a host of famous rock stars, including the Small Faces, Pink Floyd, The Byrds, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and the rolling Stones. Salvador Dali visited and author Salman rushdie lived in the flat above the shop.
However, it was The Beatles who made it famous. On the back cover of revolver, the group wore long-collared John Pearse shirts, which caused a rush of shoppers asking for the ‘John Lennon shirt’.
George Harrison favoured a tailored green jacket with a William Morris golden lily design, while John Lennon opted for a chrysanthemum pattern.
The release of the psychedelic album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band only increased the footfall.
Despite being expensive — shirts were priced from £4 to £10 and a William Morris inspired jacket was £15 at a time when the average weekly wage was £20 — the clothes flew out of the store.
Granny’s success was short- lived. Pearse became exasperated with the increasingly hippy image of the shop and
Waymouth became more interested in his burgeoning poster business. The trio sold out to manager Freddie Hornik in 1969. He brought in new york designers Gene Krell and Marty Breslau, who introduced rhinestones and stack-heeled boots.
In 1970, branches were opened in new york and Los angeles. The London
boutique’s name was bought in 1974 and the premises moved to another site on the King’s road. It closed in 1979.
Sheila Markham, London E12.
QUESTION Does the Australian Labour Party pre-date the British one?
yES. The Queensland Labour Party was founded in 1891 when striking pastoral workers met under a ghost gum tree in Barcaldine. Labour parties in other australian colonies formed soon after and affiliated to become the australian Labour Party (aLP) in 1893.
On april 27, 1904, Chris Watson became australia’s first Labour prime minister in a short-lived minority government. It was the first national labour government in the world. australia also saw the first majority federal Labour government in 1910 with Scottish-born former coal miner andrew Fisher as prime minister.
The British Labour Party originated in the late 19th century, meeting the demand for a new political movement to represent the urban working class.
In 1900, another Scotsman, Keir Hardie, organised a meeting of trade unions and socialist groups, which agreed to form a Labour representation Committee and so the Labour Party was born.
ramsay MacDonald became the first Labour prime minister in January 1924.
Simon Chapman, Perth.
QUESTION What is the oldest international treaty still in force?
THE 1373 Treaty of Windsor between England and Portugal was signed by Edward III and King Ferdinand and Queen Eleanor.
It is a reciprocal agreement to regard friends as friends and enemies as enemies, to uphold each other mutually by sea and land. The treaty has been used to call for mutual assistance several times since its signing.
Its origins were in 1147, when English soldiers intervened to help King alfonso Henriques capture Lisbon from the Moors (Muslim invaders from north
africa). The soldiers had been on their way to the Holy Land to take part in the Second Crusade.
From then on, the two countries regarded each other as friendly neighbours, which was a comfort to the Portuguese, who were often under threat from the Spanish kingdoms.
Support wasn’t always military. Financial aid between 1385 and 1580 helped to keep the aviz dynasty in power in Portugal.
In 1386, John of Gaunt ( Duke of Lancaster and third son of Edward III) landed in Portugal to take the Crown of Castile, which he claimed was his right because of his marriage to Constance, daughter of the deposed King Peter.
His claim failed, but his daughter Philippa married John I of Portugal, strengthening the relationship between England and Portugal.
relations were not always cordial. after a dynastic marriage in 1580 saw Portugal and Spain unified, both opposed England in the anglo-Spanish War between 1585 and 1604. However, Britain backed Portugal during the restoration War of 1640 to 1668.
Britain also provided armies to fight alongside Portugal against Spain and France during the napoleonic Wars.
The last time either country called on the other to fulfil its obligations under the treaty was in 1943. Britain was allowed to establish naval and air bases on Portuguese islands in the azores for use in the fight against the axis powers.
Portuguese dictator antonio Salazar was sympathetic to the axis cause, though the country was neutral.
Robert Sutherland, Northampton.
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