By Sharon Whitley Larsen
Recently I was lucky enough to visit Liverpool for the fourth time, reveling in the midst of Beatles Territory — the Merseyside hometown of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
This vibrant city was designated European Capital of Culture 2008; prior to that, in 2004, areas of the city center and waterfront were named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was also declared in 2015 as a UNESCO City of Music.
And no wonder. It was in October 1961 that a teen strolled into a local record store and asked for a recording of "My Bonnie"— then popular in Germany — by a young group of mop-top Liverpudlians. Shortly after, the manager of the family-owned record shop, Brian Epstein, visited the Cavern Club, where they were performing, to see what the fuss was all about.
The rest, as they say, is history. The Beatles really put Liverpool on the map.
And from staying at the Hard Days Night Hotel to taking a ferry 'cross the Mersey to touring the Beatles' childhood homes and historic sites this city of 465,000 is fabulous "Fab Four" fun.
A "must" for every Beatles fan is to visit The Beatles Story on Albert Dock (and its smaller counterpart at Pier Head, which also includes history and artifacts on other popular 1960s musical groups). The self-guided audio tour entertains with detailed history, interviews and anecdotes about the Fab Four as fans peruse the costumes, photos, posters, instruments, news clips, sights and sounds of Beatlemania. There are replicas, including one of John's "White Room" with its grand piano and another of the Cavern Club, where visitors can rest their feet and enjoy a video documentary. You're allowed to take photos, and several tourists snapped away. I spent nearly three hours on my recent tour here, stopping in the cafe for a bite to eat afterward and browsing through the gift shop that sells Beatles T-shirts galore.
During my visits here I have worked in a Beatles-themed tour, whether joining other fans on a van to visit the childhood homes of Lennon and McCartney or to have a private driver/guide show me the sites of their Liverpool lifestyle and inspiration for the famous songs — such as Penny Lane, Eleanor Rigby and Strawberry Field.
I've sipped wine at the Jacaranda Club and The Grapes pub (and the reconstructed Cavern Club), where the Beatles performed or hung out. And I've toured numerous Beatles' landmarks, including St. Barnabas, where Paul was a choirboy (the Anglican Liverpool Cathedral had rejected him, saying his voice was not good enough!); the Liverpool College of Art, where John and his first wife, Cynthia, met; and the Liverpool Institute next door, which both Paul and George attended.
Near St. Peter's Anglican Church, where Paul first met John in 1957 at the annual Woolton garden party, is the churchyard cemetery, where one gravestone reads: "In loving memory of ...Eleanor Rigby ... died 10th Oct. 1939, aged 44 years ..."
Today in central Liverpool there's a statue of Eleanor Rigby sitting on a park bench, a gift from Britain's 1950s rock 'n' roll idol Tommy Steele, "for all the lonely people." And there's a statue of the Fab Four installed in 2015 on Pier Head, where tourists love to pose for photos.
Fans can see modest 12 Arnold Grove, George's birthplace, where he lived until age 7, and 25 Upton Green, where the family later moved, as well as the tiny working-class row house at 9 Madryn St., where Ringo was born, and 10 Admiral Grove, where he lived from ages 5 to 23.
A special highlight is to tour the childhood homes of John and Paul that are now owned by The National Trust.
As my husband, Carl, and I joined a dozen others for a van tour, we were told the rules: Buckle-up, no gum-chewing, and no cameras or cell phones allowed inside the houses.
"We don't want to hear, 'Guess where I am? Paul McCartney's bedroom!'" cheerily noted our guide.
We first stopped at 251 Menlove Ave. — "Mendips" — in Woolton, where John had lived with his Aunt Mimi from 1945 to 1963, from ages 5 to 23.
"The National Trust and Yoko Ono welcome you," greeted our guide.
The two-story, three-bedroom, one-bath duplex, built in 1933 - a very neat, middle-class home -looks much the same as when John lived here, with 1950s decor.
We began the tour in the side yard, entering the tiny kitchen, which is next to the small, sunny family room where John spent a lot of time drawing and listening to the radio. Today visitors can peruse family items, including photo albums and John's Sunday school record of attendance when he was 6.
The more formal, small front living room, with built-in bookshelves lining both sides of the fireplace, was where John would sit and write poetry and song lyrics, telling Mimi, "You should keep these because I'm going to be famous one day and they'll be worth something!" This is also where he and Paul sat down to play guitars together, and where they would rehearse on Sunday afternoons with friends, including one with a six-piece drum set, until Mimi banished them for peace and quiet.
"The guitar's all right, John, but you'll never make a living with it," she once told him. Later she cheerfully answered the huge piles of his fan mail at the window desk.
After climbing the wooden staircase in the entry hall, I toured John's tiny, narrow front bedroom, which had a twin bed pushed to one side and small dresser. It was here where he would spend hours on the bed reading, with his feet up on the wall, drawing, dreaming, gazing out the bay window to the street, and writing songs - including "Please Please Me."
Yoko Ono purchased Mendips in 2002 and donated it to The National Trust, which opened it to the public the following year. Ono wrote in the guidebook: "Everything that happened afterwards germinated from John's dreaming in his little bedroom."
Next we rode to nearby 20 Forthlin Road, Allerton, a two-story brick, three-bedroom, one-bath, mid-terrace house where Paul moved with his family in 1955, when he was 13 and his brother Mike, 12. A custom-made sign inside above the front door says, "In loving memory of Mum and Dad, Mary and Jim." It was put there by Paul and his brother.
A recording by Paul greets visitors in the small front living room: "Many of my favorite years were spent in this house — many lovely years — some sad, yes, but most of my memories are very happy ... . Enjoy your trip around!"
The living room, with fireplace, is furnished with cozy 1950s decor — a small television, armchair, sofa and upright piano - and is similar to how it looked when the McCartneys lived here. It was in this front room where John and Paul wrote many songs, including "Love Me Do" and "I Saw Her Standing There."
Upstairs are the bedrooms — and a tiny one in front was Paul's, furnished with a twin bed against one wall.
As Paul sums up in the guidebook, "My mum and dad would have found it very hard to believe that the house is now a National Trust property. You expect the National Trust to own places like Blenheim Palace, not a little terrace house like this. But they would be chuffed about it, and so am I."
WHEN YOU GO
The Beatles Story, Albert Dock: www.beatlesstory.com/albert-dock
The Beatles Story, Pier Head: www.beatlesstory.com/pier-head (The ticket is good for both museums for two days.)
For more information: www.beatlesstory.com/day-tripper
The National Trust, touring John's and Paul's childhood homes (important to book ahead): www.nationaltrust.org.uk/beatles-childhood-homes.
Museum of Liverpool (also has Beatles' relics including a short film — and it's free): www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol.
Port Sunlight Museum (a short train ride away) features some Beatles' items, including an interesting radio interview when they were first starting out: www.portsunlightvillage.com.
The village's Hulme Hall is where Ringo first performed with the group on Aug. 18, 1962: www.hulmehall.com.
Hard Days Night Hotel: www.harddaysnighthotel.com
Treat yourself to a drink and munchies at Panoramic34 — with a magnificent 34th-floor city view. Reservations recommended: www.panoramic34.com.
For more information: Visit Liverpool (www.visitliverpool.com), Visit England (www.visitengland.com), Visit Britain (www.visitbritain.com)
Sharon Whitley Larsen is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com
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