Magical Mystery Tour – The Beatles In Kent

The four Beatles standing in front of a tree, next to their piano in a large field in Knole Park, Sevenoaks

The Beatles Strawberry Fields ForeverForever © The Beatles

Kent Locations: Knole Park, Sevenoaks, West Malling Airfield now Kings Hill.

Legendary English band ‘The Beatles’ who were formed in 1960, became world favourites with their huge catalogue of catchy rock and pop songs. The band, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr filmed several music videos in Kent in 1967 including Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane and I Am The Walrus. They also starred in 52-minute British television film named Magical Mystery Tour in 1967 which documented the band tour in a themed bus with their fans. For the film they arrived in West Malling where they filmed various interior and exterior shots at the old airfield, including the Mystery Marathon. The film was released on 26 December 1967 and is available to buy on DVD.

The Strawberry Fields Forever video filmed at Knole, where the band members walk across the park and climb on and off a tree which is attached to their piano.

The video for Penny Lane includes the band riding their horses through an archway at Knole Park and down towards the ponds. The group then dismount and sit at a picnic table where they are served with their instruments by liveried footmen.

The I Am The Walrus video was entirely filmed at West Malling Airfield, now Kings Hill, where the band perform the song on the airfield as part of their Magical Mystery Tour film.

Historic house Knole is set in a medieval deer-park in Sevenoaks. The National Trust location is over 500 years old and was once the palace of archbishops and royal property of the Tudor dynasty. Knole has previously featured in productions such as Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (2011), Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (2011) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).

Kings Hill is a housing and business development built on an airfield site which  has been featured as a film location on Couples Come Dine With Me (2014) and Channel 4’s Cape Wrath (2008).

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.