THE Beatles may never have made it to Clacton but that doesn’t mean they didn’t leave their mark on the resort.

Thirty years after A Hard’s Day’s Night was screened at the now long-lost Odeon, in West Avenue, fan and musician Karl Johnson found himself in a time-warp dating back to the Fab Four’s heyday.

“It was a little disused hotel bedroom at the top of either the Criterion on Pier restaurant, facing the sea, and it was covered from top to bottom in Beatles wallpaper,” said Karl.

“There had been a rumour that the Beatles were almost booked to appear at the Princes Theatre in 1964 and this wallpaper had been there since then.

“Most of it was still intact, stuck on to the crumbling walls of this Victorian room.

“I went there with my dad and we stripped it all off because they were refurbishing it.

“It seemed to still be in good condition but once it was removed from the walls the brittle paper just crumbled apart.

“We had a hell of a job getting it off the wall. Some of it wouldn’t come off and some of it was damp.”

Dad Derek was an antiques dealer. They saved what they could and mounted it onto cards before sending it off for auction.

“I can’t remember how much we got for it,” said Karl, 52. “It’s sad that a priceless piece of history could be removed in just an afternoon.

“We took some photos. The wallpaper itself featured a selection of colour pictures of the group with their facsimile signatures repeated over and over again and today is very collectable.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

  • Beatles wallpaper in the old hotel room

“In July 1964, in the days of Beatle-mania, the Odeon cinema screened their first full-length black and white film, A Hard Day’s Night, and in July 1965 it showed Help, which was in colour.

“At the time it was reported that queues of excited teenage fans could be seen stretching around the block to see the Fab Four on the silver screen.”

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

  • The Fab Four wallpaper design from the Sixties 

The Fab Four inspired Karl to pick up a guitar and become a musician.

He still owns a replica of John Lennon’s Rickenbacker guitar - and has a collection of Beatles bubblegum cards.

“After dad died in 1995 I sold a lot of my Beatles stuff,” said Karl, of Old Road, Clacton.

“I wish I hadn’t now. I’ve been a fan since 1965 and still think they are the best band ever.”

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

  • One of the Beatles bubblegum cards (left) from Karl's private collection and a 1964 advert for A Hard Day's Night at Clacton's Odeon Cinema (right)