BEATLES MAGAZINE: DHANI HARRISON LAUNCHES PLANNING BID FOR NEW TIMBER HOME

Monday, 14 April 2025

DHANI HARRISON LAUNCHES PLANNING BID FOR NEW TIMBER HOME

Dhani Harrison has launched a bid to build a timber home in the grounds of his father's estate.

Olivia Harrison submitted plans for a new property at Friar Park in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, four years ago. But it appears control of the project has now been transferred to Dhani.

Dhani who is scheduled to perform at Glastonbury this June - has recently overhauled the design which now appears to include several nods to his parent.

Plans reveal the two-bedroom oak frame home would be built on the site of a disused tennis court which has fallen into disrepair.

A kitchen diner, lounge, utility and music room will feature on the ground floor while two bedrooms, two bathrooms and two other rooms are set to be located on the first floor, accessed via a spiral staircase.

According to a Design and Access Statement, the building surrounds a courtyard garden which architects STL say will introduce 'cross ventilation and light into the building, breaking up the overall bulk and form of the structure itself. 'Internally the space is intended to be flexible for the owner's artistic pursuits, whilst also incorporating a garage area.'

The new home will be entirely surrounded by mature trees and hedgerows offering privacy from prying eyes. It will be a short walk to Friar Park's private pool.

Construction of the new home is understood to have begun in March 2023, but changes to the building were lodged by Dhani last month with South Oxfordshire District Council.

These include the addition of three unusual dragon finials, said to bring good luck, a clock tower has been removed, square windows changed to circular ones and French doors put in.
Dhani, who currently lives in a barn conversion on the estate, has added a plant room which appears to be a nod to his parents' love of gardening.

George's All Things Must Pass album included a track called The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll), a nod to the property Friar Park's former owner.

Sir Frank Crisp was a Victorian-era lawyer, horticulturist and noted eccentric who dotted the estate with slogans such as 'Don't keep off the grass', 'The answer's at the end' and 'Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass'.

The alterations are currently in the consultation period which closes on April 11 and a decision is expected in May.

Friar Park, a palatial Victorian neo-Gothic mansion rumoured to have 120 rooms, was just a week away from being bulldozed when it was bought by Harrison in January 1970 when he was aged 27.

The 62-acre estate had been completed in 1895 for wealthy lawyer Sir Frank who spent a fortune creating exquisite landscaped gardens and elegant architectural elements - including a 23,000-tonne scale model of the Matterhorn.

After Sir Frank's death in 1919 the gardens fell into disrepair before being returned to their former glory by George and Olivia who were captivated by the estate’s beauty and peacefulness.

The gardens at Friar Park are now considered to be some of Britain's finest and include quirky Victorian 'dad jokes' carved into brickwork, according to Dhani.
The estate has undergone huge change in recent years with Olivia applying to build a yoga studio, electric buggy garage and workshop in the grounds.

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