I recently made a lifelong dream come true. You can roll your eyes if you want, but I went on the National Trust’s Beatles tour in Liverpool, England. The Beatles were my first musical loves. My first crushes. I was lucky enough to have some pretty groovy babysitters who introduced me to Paul, John George and Ringo. My parents listened to Wayne Newton and Englebert Humperdink… what kind of a name is that? Wayne Newton looked like he was ten years old and his voice was as pure as Sandra Dee. No offense to their fans but I was a kid and it just wasn’t happening. So, enter my babysitter who had an obsession with The Beatles.
After they played on The Ed Sullivan Show we all knew who they were. At six years old I was transfixed. My parents caved in and bought me the album “Help” when it came out. I still can’t believe they succumbed to the music of the day. I played the album non stop over and over again on my tiny record player while jumping up and down on my bed with my sister. The grooves on the record were shredded to bits in the end. We were out of control in my bedroom with the white princess furniture.
I finally got to see Paul McCartney play on one of his tours a few years ago and when he broke into “A Hard Days Night” as an opening number I completely lost my mind. I was an “older woman” screaming amongst other older women screaming. It was kind of creepy…. but then Paul was 79 years old…. so there is that.
I decided to go to the UK for this years birthday. I wanted to visit my hilarious partner in crime, Valerie Cligg, who lives in Devon.
She met me in London and we spent a couple of days there and then headed off to Liverpool. My grandmother Edith Frost was born there and I had never been. She died just before I was born. When friends asked me why I was going there I made it sound like I was delving into my family history but it was all about The Beatles.
The National Trust offers a tour of John Lennon’s childhood home and Paul McCartney’s childhood home. Our first night in Liverpool was spent at a nice cocktail lounge for happy hour. I had a couple of delicious Espresso Martini’s. I stayed awake for two days.
Our hotel in Liverpool was lovely. It had short term rental apartments called “Posh Pads”. One night we were heading out for some dinner and drinks and we met Daniella Westbrook from the Eastenders on the front steps, who was also staying in our apartment complex. She notoriously had a wicked addiction to cocaine and stopped after her nose exploded all over her face. After she left the show she did a lot of chat shows talking about her difficult and soul shattering road to recovery and sobriety. She was bubbly and funny as she stood smoking out front with a male friend. She said hello and carried on our way. When we returned two hours later she was still there smoking and she commented on that with a big boisterous laugh. The next morning there was an abandoned false eyelash stuck to the hand rail at the entrance and we suspected it was her calling card. It was definitely the right place for us to be staying in.
I spent some time getting ready for the tour the next morning. I wanted to look just right. Something that implied I was a Beatles fan but not too over the top. I wasn’t going to deck myself out in an emblazoned tee shirt…. something more…. tasteful and understated.
I just couldn’t believe I was going to see Paul’s childhood home. I was going to be standing in his bedroom. I don’t know how to describe the anticipation and the excitement. We met at the train station where a minivan picked us up. There were several other fans on board. It was full. There were about 14 of us. Our tour companions were from all over the world… Americans, Dutch, French and myself… the sole Canadian. We sped through the Liverpool neighborhoods while our driver blasted the Beatles. Our first stop was John Lennon’s childhood home, which belonged to his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George. The house was quite lovely. It hadn’t been renovated at all. Whoever had bought the house had left things as they were. A small place with a stained glass front entrance. Black and white tile in the kitchen. There were three rooms downstairs. There was a sitting room at the front of the house and another good-sized room at the back of the house, which was used as a dining room. Upstairs there were two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a room where John played drums and eventually guitar. The larger of the bedrooms was Mimi’s and George’s, and the smaller one was John’s. These were wartime houses. They were small but sturdy. It had a large backyard where Uncle George had built John a treehouse. By all accounts, it sounded like John had a very stable and loving home with his Aunt and Uncle. We weren’t allowed to take any photos inside the house, and I respected that. The temptation to sneak one off was great, but I somehow controlled myself.
JOHN LENNON’S CHILDHOOD HOME
I was surprised to find out that Yoko Ono bought John’s childhood home when it came up for sale and donated it to the National Trust to use as a museum in honour of John. She knew how much that house meant to him and how much he loved it. She wanted his fans to be able to see where he came from. The furniture in the house is original for the most part. The pieces they couldn’t locate were replaced by the same period pieces. it was hair raising standing in the house and being surrounded by John. Family pictures on the walls and some of the young Beatles. You could tell that Mimi ran a tight ship. The house was decorated nicely and well kept. There was some structural work being done on the outside when we were there but the inside has remained intact.
After a very informative tour, we boarded our mini bus again and squealed off to Paul’s childhood home. When we pulled up in front of the small working class house I was surprised to see the difference between John’s fancier stained glass front entrance and Paul’s plain brick with a red door.
It was much smaller inside. The house felt welcoming and well lived in. The front room was filled with the original furniture and a small piano. Paul’s mum had sewn together carpet runners to make one carpet. I thought that was so smart and obviously cheaper than buying a full size carpet. I sat in the comfy chair in the living room , where Paul sat often ,strumming his guitar. We heard stories of John and Paul writing songs here and there was a picture of them on the wall that was taken in the front room.
Finally I was standing in Paul’s bedroom. It was so small. A single bed ,a front window, and a dresser. The walls were beige, devoid of any colour. It was pretty drab. A typical, functional bedroom for the times. This tiny room housed such a giant talent that wrote so many classic and timeless songs. I wanted to jump on that single bed and roll around but I would have been arrested. We ended our tour outside in the postage stamp size backyard. There was a striped chair where Paul had been photographed over 60 years ago strumming his guitar. We all took turns sitting in the chair, hoping to feel some electricity. I may or may not have farted due to all the excitement.
Paul’s backyard
Finally our time at Paul’s house was over and I wished I could transport myself back in time but alas I squeezed back into the mini van with other older couples chatting about what a thrilling tour it was. I highly recommend it. I thought it was going to be painfully cheesy but it was like going to an interactive art gallery or museum. A personal space trapped forever in time and for Beatle lovers it’s a must.
We had to, of course make a trip to The Cavern Club. That night we had a quick change of clothes and headed off to see where the first shows took place. The area was crowded with people and shops. The narrow streets were lined with pubs and bars and shops. We made our way until we saw the familiar sign that I’d seen a million times before in articles and Beatle documentaries.
I found out that this club is not the original location but the interior is exactly the same. It does feel like you are in an old underground rail station. The stage is a small space that is halo’d by brick work. The music playing was Bob Dylan and then the Beatles, of course, you so could catch the vibe.
We had a pint and soaked in the atmosphere. It was cool to see the space, but I will say it is touristy. If I was going out at night, I don’t think I’d go there unless there was a band playing that I wanted to see. I’m not sure what talent they would have on the weekends. When we were there, they had a soloist who played guitar and sang….. you guessed it… Beatles songs. Not really my favorite thing. I prefer to hear the originals, but it is a tourist location. I bought some trinkets from the shop, like a Cavern Club pin and a tee-shirt. My friend’s mom used to actually work in the real Cavern Club back in the day and saw The Beatles many times before they made it big. I can’t imagine what that must have been like. To see them when they were figuring out who they all were. It’s funny because they ended up with this squeaky clean image compared to The Rolling Stones, but in actuality George, Paul, John, and Ringo came from some tough streets in Liverpool and were not the image that was portrayed. They were real rounders and probably struggled to maintain that image.
Next stop we went to find the Fab Four statues. We knew they existed and we were told they were down near the pier by the waterfront. So off we went asking people as we made our way through the fancy shopping areas. Eventually we saw the grouping in the distance. As we got closer, we couldn’t believe how tall they were. They definitely were much larger than life-size. They were massive and god-like and super cool.
After our Beatles extravaganza we went to the Red Brick Market. You could easily spend a couple of hours checking out all the stalls. There were over 100 traders with their unique stalls of goods. Being on a tight budget, with the exchange rate making me puke every time I calculated it, I only bought a pair of earrings.
RED BRICK VINTAGE
Next stop was St Luke’s Church, known locally as “the bombed out church”. It suffered catastrophic damage during the May Blitz of 1941. The entire inside of the church was blown out with raging fire, but miraculously the outer structure survived. The inside was derilect and overgrown with foliage making it inaccessible for 60 years. Rather than removing the structure it was decided to leave it as a memorial to the war. Eventually the interior was cleaned up and opened to the public in 2007. Since then it has been a space used for music and art and a range of cultural events. The stillness and quiet of the interior feels very spiritual regardless of your faith, or if you practice any sort of religion. It opens up to the heavens and all of nature.
ST. LUKE’S CHURCH
Upon leaving the church we spotted The Blue Angel and Val felt obliged to honour its existance.
I had a whirlwind time in Liverpool and certainly would love to go back. It’s a vibrant city on the water and its history is varied from the lasting effects of the Blitz during WW11 to its greatest gift to music; The Beatles. The city has so many shopping areas that are wide open with bustling tourists and locals sitting in cafes and restaurants. In addition there are the older areas where the streets are narrow and filled with pubs and clubs and cobblestone walkways. Everywhere you look there is some beautiful historic building.
I honestly wish I’d had more time but I know I will return. I loved it. Next visit I will do some research on the Frost family and my gran, Edith Fost… I promise. Ya ya ya
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