In the Footsteps Of The Fab Four

★★★★

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Tuesday, July 6, 20102 ★★★★

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Meet theIT was fate... A summer fete, in fact, thatcreated the most famous band the worldhas ever known. But that was 1957 – fiveyears earlier, in September, 1953, JohnWinston Lennon arrived at Quarry Bank

High School in Woolton.The respectable, residential location was

favoured by his Aunt Mimi, who rejected thepossibility of Liverpool Institute as being toofar away.

If he was daunted by the size of the school,John didn’t show it, preferring instead to asserthis natural leadership instincts, either throughfighting, or through his developing interest inhis music.

At least he had a friend from DovedalePrimary School alongside him - Pete Shotton.

Pete was to become the washboard playerwhen, in 1956, John formed his first band – TheQuarrymen.

With Eric Griffiths on guitar, Bill Smith ontea-chest bass and Rod Jones on banjo, thesound was pure Skiffle.

Originally called The Blackjacks, the namewas changed as an ironic tribute to the school.

Members came and went – Bill Smith wasreplaced by Len Garry, and Colin Hanton joinedon drums – having the added advantage ofworking as an apprentice upholsterer and soable to afford his own drum kit.

But John WAS the leader.Colin, Rod John, Pete, Len and Eric would

claim their snapshot in history as the line –upthat played Woolton Parish Church’s SummerFair, on July 6, 1957.

With a young lad called Paul McCartneywatching in the crowd.

Mutual friend Ivan Vaughan introduced Paulto John.

"Do you want to be in the band?" said a beeryLennon.

The rest is part of the magical history story.To this day St Peter's Church is a pop

pilgrimage.It really is where it all began...But it also began in lots of other places.Liverpool, is without knowing it, a Beatle

theme Park.In 1970 when the Fabs split, the city did little

to mark their contribution or its influence andwhen a councillor said “They couldn't sing fortoffee” you knew that we didn't have the rightattitude.

Time moved on and people from all over theworld wanted to knowwhere did THEY come from,these Moptops, fab fashiongurus, philosophical poets?

It was Liverpool.Cavern City Tours,

created by Bill Heckle andDave Jones, made sure theBeatles legacy lives on.

The Mathew StreetFestival is the biggest freemusical extravaganza inEurope where a splendidtime is guaranteed for all350,000 visitors.

Beatle Day, instigated byChas Cole of Summer Popsfame, is a celebration whenfans don't let their hair downbut put a wig on.

It's true you can tourLiverpool in the footsteps ofthe Fab Four by taxi (not anewspaper one), bus or bywalking.

You can see statues andlandmarks and visit TheBeatles Story at the AlbertDock and the Pier Head.

In this supplement you willsee their humble origins andthe places the Beatles helpedput on the map.

Enjoy a bit of Beatlenostalgia.

So welcome to the city thatcreated four lads who shookthe world.

The earthquake goes on.

FLYING: A 1962 aerial view of the city, showing the buildings of Liverpool Institute,attended by Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Right: ShorefieldsComprehensive, which Ringo attended when it was Dingle Secondary Modern

SCHOOL’S OUT: John Lennon’s former school, Dovedale County Junior on Herondale Road, is proud of its famous connection, buthas recently put up signs asking tourists not to take photographs while the current pupils are at play Picture: GAVIN TRAFFORD

SCHOOL ON THE HILL: Paul McCartney, left, at theJoseph Williams School, Netherley, in 1952 and, right,Ringo at St Silas primary school in Dingle in 1949

by PETERGRANT (with friend, above)

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 3★★★★

www.summerpops.com 08448471616

Quarrymen

HALLTOGETHERNOW: St Peter’sChurch hall inWoolton, wherePaul McCartneywas introducedto John Lennonat the summerfete in July 1957that featuredperformances byThe QuarrymenPicture: COLINLANE

JUST 17: JohnLennon playing aGallotone acousticguitar with theQuarrymen, left,at St Peter’schurch fete on July6, 1957. Right: PaulMcCartney makeshis debut with theband, includingColin Hanton, LenGarry, JohnLennon and EricGriffiths

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AREPORTER onceasked John Lennon“where did you playin Liverpool?” Hesaid: "Everywhere."

But where was the first venue?“Hi, everyone, welcome to the

Casbah."We are the Quarrymen and

we’re going to play you somerock and roll.”

When the enterprising MonaBest decided to clear out thecellar of her large suburbanVictorian villa to turn it into acoffee bar, she wasn’t justopening a new venue forteenagers, but a whole newchapter in pop legend.

The house, at 8 Hayman’sGreen, West Derby, had beenbought with winnings from abet on the 33-1 winner of the1956 Derby, Never Say Die.

Both her sons, Pete and hisyounger brother Rory, and agood many pals turned toclearing and painting theunderground rooms.

Among the pals who turnedup to paint was GeorgeHarrison, who brought withhim Paul, who supplied arainbow painted ceiling, andJohn, who painted stars on ablack background.

Together with Ken Brown,they were also to provide livemusic for the opening nightwith their group – TheQuarrymen.

The Quarrymen earnedthree pounds a night andwould perform regularly untilKen left, following anargument, to form a bandwith Pete Best called TheBlackjacks.

The remaining Quarrymen became theSilver Beatles and left for a tour of Scotland.

Returning to Liverpool, and without adrummer, they caught a performance of TheBlackjacks, playing back at the Casbah,where Pete was now the drummer.

Not long after, Pete was asked to join TheBeatles, as they now were, and the Casbahwould become the landmark venue for theFIRST Beatles performance in Liverpool.

As Paul McCartney later commented: “TheCasbah was the place were all that started.

" We helped paint it and stuff."We looked upon it as our personal club.”Years later, the Cavern, in Mathew Street,

was the name that everyone wouldremember, but the Casbah was where it trulybegan.

CLUB CLASS: Early performances at the Casbah Club inHaymans Green, in West Derby - home of the Best family.Right: The Quarrymen, with George, Paul, Ken Brown and John,on the opening night in 1959

ROCK THE CASBAH: Pete Bestin the basement of the Casbahas it is now, perfectly preservedPicture: COLIN LANE



All theBestcellars

GOINGUNDERGROUND: ACavern membershipcard from 1962, left;early gigs at theMathew St club,below and Sir Paulreturns to the stagein 1999, bottom

ARCH RIVALS: Whenthe Beatles first playedthe Cavern, left andright, it was largely ajazz club and theirsound was resented bymany of the regulars -including original ownerAlan Sytner who toldJohn Lennon to “cut outthe bloody rock’n’roll”


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WONDER WALLS:Arnold Grove inWavetree, where GeorgeHarrison was born inFebruary 1943. Unlike theformer Lennon andMcCartney homes, thisquiet family home is notopen to the public

A STARR IS BORN: Ringoleaves his then-home inAdmiral Grove, Toxteth, for agig at the Empire theatre inDecember 1963. Ringo alsolived in Madryn Street,Dingle, as a child

GET BACK: Since Yoko Ono boughtMendips, in Menlove Avenue, and gaveit to the National Trust, extensiveresearch and work has gone on toreturn it to an authentic 1950s periodpiece

NATIONAL TREASURE: Simon Osborne of the National Trust in John’s bedroom at Mendips, with aguitar similar to one John owned as a boy Picture: GAVIN TRAFFORD

GIVE ME SOME TOOTH: One ofthe more unusual exhibits atMendips – one of John’s babyteeth Picture: JASON ROBERTS

LATEST RELEASE FROM APPLE:Simon Osborne with a cake tin whichreleases the smell of apple pie into thekitchen. Picture: GAVIN TRAFFORD



Agood house in a good area.” Smart,

surburban and semi-detached,“Mendips” would provide more for Johnthan just a roof over his head throughthe 17 or so years that he lived there,

from the age of five with his Aunt Mimi and UncleGeorge.

It was here that John received the stability thathad been missing in his early years, where hismodest, but comfortable front bedroom housed hisimagination. The Wind In The Willows, JustWilliam, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland wereall waiting to be read and re-read, in the little roomabove the porch.

In this quiet house, the wildly imaginativeseven-year-old John could compile his own volumesof jokes, drawings and cartoons, under the title of“Sport, Speed and Illustrated. Edited and illustratedby J.W.Lennon.” A highly artistic child, at the sametime showing an awareness of the formalrespectability that was instilled throughout thehouse by his Aunt Mimi.

As John later said: “I was a nice clean-cutsuburban boy, and in the class system I was abouthalf an inch in a higher class than George, Paul andRingo, who lived in subsidised government houses.We owned our own house, had our own garden.”

But the neat and orderly nature of the housewould soon begin to frustrate the teenage John asthe hit parade of the 1950s rocked the porch, androlled around the morning room. And, as regular asthe mantelpiece clock, his Aunt’s warning wasissued: “The guitar’s alright for a hobby, John, butyou’ll never make a living from it.” Her words wouldbecome a permanent ironic reminder when Johnpresented her with themengraved on a plaque.

His growing restlessnessbegan to wrestle him fromthe solidly normal routine ofhis life at Mendips – firstthrough his friends (orruffians in Mimi’s eyes) andthen through the increasingvisits of his fun-loving andwild-spirited mother.

But the house remained aretreat in times of need –from the tragedy of losinghis mother, knocked downand killed further down theroad, to providing a home forhis own baby son and newwife, Cynthia, as Johnbecame a Beatle.

FromMetoViewInsideMendips– theLennon familyhome thatYokogave to thenation

I’M ONLYSLEEPING: John’sbedroom atMendips, right

HELP: Yoko Ono,above, turnedbenefactor to makesure Mendips wassaved as a livingmuseum, saying in2003: “I wanted topreserve it for thepeople of Liverpooland John Lennonand Beatles fans allover the world.” Shebought the houseand gave it to theNational Trust forthe nation.Left: The sittingroom at Mendips

HER MAJESTY:John with AuntMimi, with whomhe lived atMendips and whowas a stronginfluence after thedeath of hismother


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GOLDEN SLUMBERS: Sir Paul McCartney’s former bedroom at the family home, 20 Forthlin Road, Allerton,scene of many early Beatle rehearsals Picture: NTPL / Dennis Gilbert

VisitingForthlinRoad

ADMISSION to the former home ofthe McCartneys in Allerton is byguided tour only – you need to bookand can’t just knock on the door.

You can go on a combinedminibus tour that also takes in JohnLennon’s former home in MenloveAvenue, Mendips.

Depending on the time of year

and time of day, the tours leavefrom either the city centre or fromSpeke Hall.

● For full information, visit theNational Trust website atwww.nationaltrust.org.uk, phone0844 800 4791 or [email protected]

YOU’VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOO AWAY: Keith Halstead of theNational Trust shows off the outside toilet at Forthlin Road

GIVE PEAS A CHANCE: The McCartneys’ kitchen has beenrecreated at 20 Forthlin Road Picture: NTPL / Dennis Gilbert

MODEL CITIZENS: Mabel Summers with Mike

McCartney and her model of the house



LongandWinding(Forthlin)Road

LET ‘EM IN: Fans pose for photographers, above, at the opening of 20 Forthlin Road as a National Trustproperty in 1995. The former home of the McCartney family, it was an early rehearsal venue for theBeatles. Right, Sir Paul was snapped by some neighbours during a return visit to Allerton

by PETERGRANTTHE scene is ForthlinRoad, Allerton, on abeautiful night. A manturns up with his sonand knocks on the door

of number 20. The man insideanswers: “Yeah … can I helpyer?”

The visitor says “yeah” back,adding: “I used to live here.”

The resident says: “I’mwatching the telly.”

And closes the door.It’s a great tale.It’s a Beatle tale.Sir Paul McCartney often

comes 'home' and isn’t it ironicsomeone wouldn’t ‘let him in’.

He’s proud of the place wherehe moved with mum Mary, DadJim and brother Mike in 1955,and where he wrote so manygreat songs with John Lennon.

Paul's proud that the NationalTrust made a controversialdecision to make a Beatle home a‘must see’ place back in 1996.

It’s now a National Treasure,like him.

The fabulous pictures byyounger brother Mike (bornPeter and a fellow student atLiverpool Institute with GeorgeHarrison) are on the walls andshow the house as it was in thelate 50s and 60s.

Home has always been wherethe heart is for the McCartneyclan.

To walk around the household– like Lennon’s Mendips – it’s all

so surreal.Wind our tape forwardA woman who makes models of

houses takes her sketch pad toForthlin Road

From her drawing she makes apainstaking scaled-down replicaof the house.

Mabel Summers of Huytonrecreated the number 20homestead correct in every detailand Mike McCartney gave it thethumbs up when he saw it.

Mabel was so chuffed that shesent a photo of it to Paul just tolet him know she’d done it.

Well, would you believe it . . . afew weeks later an envelopearrived at her Knotty Ash house– a signed pic from Paul saying“From Mac to Mabel…

Nice One.”When you leave Forthlin Road

you will see a bus go on its wayinto town – the 86 collects at abus stop around the corner fromPaul's old house.

At one concert in London’sDocklands I saw him standingthere – our Paul.

Arms aloft, before his encore,the Scruff from Speke said in afamiliar soft Scouse accent: “Gotto go, like, we’re getting the 86bus home.”

The Beatles left Liverpool –they had little choice.

But Liverpool never, ever leftThe Beatles.

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Tuesday, July 6, 201010 ★★★★

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TICKET OF PRIDE: Brian Corrigan, manager ofthe Lathom social club in Seaforth, where Beatlesmemorablia adorns the walls. Inset left: a ticketfor a show at the Lathom featuring the ‘SilverBeats’ - better known then as the Silver Beatles

Pictures: ANDY TEEBAY

KINGS AND QUEENS: The now-derelict Kingsway Club inSouthport, above, and the Queens Hall in Widnes, below. Ringo madeonly his second-ever appearance as a full member of the Beatles atthe Kingsway on February 5, 1962. Right: A poster for a performanceat the Queens Hall

MEMORIES: The Grosvenor ballroom in Liscard, above, andLowlands, below, in West Derby, were both early gig venues

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 11★★★★


HardDaysandNightsFromsocial clubs toglitteringballrooms,theBeatlesplayedeverykindof venueonMerseysideas they learned their trade

TOWERING INFERNO: Tower Grounds, New Brighton, once the site of the TowerBallroom, a regular venue for the Beatles. It was destroyed by fire in 1969. Right:The Beatles on stage at the Tower Ballroom in November 1961

Main picture: PAUL HEAPS; Beatles picture: SAM LEACH

DISMAY TRIPPERS:The former LitherlandTown Hall, now ahealth centre, wherebosses have refusedrequests for a plaqueto be erected tocommemorateperformances there bythe Beatles, as theybelieve camera-totingfans would invade theprivacy of patientsPicture: GAVINTRAFFORD

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Tuesday, July 6, 201012 ★★★★

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‘Inmyearsandinm

THE ROUNDABOUT: As it is today,above, and in the 1950s, left

‘Behindtheshelter inthemidaprettynurseissellingpoppiesfromatr

WE SEE THE BANKER SITTING WAITING FOR A TRIM: Tony Slavin’sbarber shop on nearby Church Road

‘Afouroffishandfingerpies...’

THERE’S APLAICE: ThePenny Lane chipshop. The linefrom the songrefers to a fourpenn’orthportion of chips. . . and a slightlysmutty innuendoof the type theband liked tosmuggle intotheir lyrics fromtime to time

‘Abarbershowingphotographs....’

CHOIR PRACTICE:St Barnabas churchon Penny Lane,where PaulMcCartney used tosing in the choir

Pictures by JASONROBERTS

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 13★★★★


sandinmyeyes’‘Behindtheshelter inthemiddleofaroundabout,

se issellingpoppiesfromatray’

PENNY Lane has alwaysbeen in my eyes andears. Ever since mydad took me to seeLiverpool FC

schoolboys play on the pitch nearDovedale Towers.

“Dad, why are they singingabout Penny Lane on the radio?”I asked.

He smiled. I soon found out.Years later, fast forward the

tape and that bemused kid in aduffle coat was standing oppositePaul McCartney for an interview.My mobile phone went off andthe ring tone was Penny Lane.

Paul looked at me, smiled andsaid: "You owe me for that."

I think he's had enoughroyalties (only kidding, Paul,cheque's in the post.

Penny Lane is actually themost unremarkable of streets youcan imagine because it is just athoroughfare off SmithdownPlace where the song is really set.

But Smithdown Place doesn’tscan.

The Roundabout is still there –and the bank and the barber’s.

And Barnardo's, as it is now,was once the photo shop (number19) of Albert Marrion who tookthe first pics of the Fabs as a

favour for Brian Epstein in 1961.There was never any nurse

selling poppies from a tray – inany case, Remembrance Sundayis in November, not normally agood time for “blue suburbanskies” .

The fire station, where afireman dutifully cleans hismachine (another Beatle in-joke),is in Mather Avenue further upthe road.

Woolworth’s, where CynthiaLennon worked on the perfumecounter, has now closed down andthings have changed so much thatthere are wine bars alongAllerton Road with tables outside.

But it is a magical place –extraordinary for itsordinariness.

John lived in nearby NewcastleRoad and he would meet Paul atthe roundabout (a bistro, nowclosed, named after Sgt Pepperstands there – Penny Lane wasdue to go on that very samealbum till Brian Epstein wanted aseparate single released.

Down in real Penny Lanewhich leads to Sefton Park(where John’s dad met John's

mum Julia and where a bequestfrom George helped to save thefamous Palm House fromdereliction) you feel as if you arein Beatle land (South Liverpool,that is).

The story goes on.Penny Lane was recreated

for the video of the ‘reunion’single Free As a Bird.

Penny Lane is still a placeof pop pilgrimage.

Take a camera, click awayat the buildings that are stillthere. the street signsembedded so you can't stealthem ... as for the characters,well, they were the products ofLennon and McCartney'simagination.

But, The Beatles helped putLiverpool firmly on the worldmap. Even The Rutles paidhomage to Penny Lane with theirtrack on the fictitious TragicalHistory Tour album, calledDenny Laine.

Yet even now when you see theleafy Penny Lane itself, yourmind wanders again.

Mind games . . . what were theyplaying at?

John and Paul wanted tocapture parts of their childhoodfor posterity.

They did.

AND THE BANKER NEVER WEARS A MACK: The bank in SmithdownPlace (pouring rain not shown)

AND THEN THEFIREMAN RUSHES IN:The fire station onMather Avenue.Left: Woolworths, whereCynthia Lennon onceworked

‘. . . thereisafiremanwithanhourglass’

by PETERGRANT

‘Onthecornerisabankerwithamotorcar’

Tuesday, July 6, 201014 ★★★★

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NOTHING IS REAL: At least, the original Strawberry Field children’s home building is nolonger real, having been demolished some years ago. The building that replaced it closed as achildren’s home in 2005

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE: American Beatles fans Paul Davies and LindaThomas were married next to the famous gates in 2006Picture: EDDIE BARFORD

I KNOW WHEN IT’S A DREAM: People surround the "Imagine" mosiac in the Strawberry Fields section ofNew York's Central Park, on December 8, 2005, the 25th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon

RED IS THE COLOUR THAT MY BABY WORE: Beatles fan ColinUnwin, from Rochdale, re-paints the gates last year

Picture: PAUL HEAPS

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 15★★★★


‘Letmetakeyoudown’

AS a Beatle guide on the MagicalMystery Tour bus, the most moving ofall destinations has to be StrawberryField. In the song, John is singingabout the sandstone pillars and gates

of Strawberry Fields (Forever).In the plural?It was rumoured it was originally called

‘Calderstones Park . . . Forever’ – near to John’shome.

But it doesn’t scan – or does it?Try singing it. Imagine . . . John looking down

from heaven listening – he’d like that.Mimi took him there from the nearby Mendips.As a kid he would ‘sag off ’ school too – play

truant – with his mates Ivan, Nigel and Pete.And with his pals sell bottles of lemonade at the

garden parties and summer fetes.So when he sang, in his famous nasal twang,

“No one I know is in my tree” – he was talkingabout the great branches that sprawled before himover the entrance.

Years later, critics thought it had LSDinfluences. No, it was pure memories ofinnocence.

On the coach tours I did twice daily, packedwith Beatle buffs from around the world, this wasTHE Footstep everyone wanted to walk in.

I used to carry a box of tissues on every trip.This part of South Liverpool is like a fairy tale –

people thought it was all imagined.Many would cry when they heard Lennon’s

beautiful voice as the coach (a replica of the oneused in the 1967 film) trundled down BeaconsfieldRoad.

Most stood there, tears in their eyes, as theykissed the wall and left a piece of glorious graffiti.

“Love yer, John XX,” and “We miss you, JohnXXX,”

It was originally a Salvation Army Children’sHome in 1936. Demolished in the late 60s it wasrebuilt.

John cared about it till the day he died.Yoko made sure of that, sending gifts and

cheques every Christmas.She visited it with Sean in 1984. Came at

midnight, too.In 1985 a twin garden was created in Central

Park, New York.Some believe John’s ashes are scattered here in

Liverpool (I do) – others know his spirit is there.Now the gates are said to be the most

photographed in the world followed byBuckingham Palace and Elvis’s Graceland.

They symbolise Lennon in a way.Like nearby Penny Lane, ordinary things can

reflect something far more.Going back now you can see what appealed to

young John Lennon – sitting there drawing hisdoodles, creating characters out of nowhere.

They would come bouncing out . . . walrus, aBlue Meanie, Polythene Pam, Mean Mr Mustardand an Egg Man.

Strawberry Fields really are forever.

by PETERGRANTNOTHING TO GETHUNG ABOUT:The gates atStrawberry Field, inBeaconsfield Road,Woolton, remain aworld-famouslandmark for Beatlesfans. Sadly, souvenirhunters or vandalsdid get hung upabout the gates afew years ago, andun-hung them. Theywere later returnedand restored.Picture: PAULHEAPS

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Tuesday, July 6, 201016 ★★★★

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PREMIERE LEAGUE:The Beatles on thebalcony of Liverpooltown hall in 1964 for apremiere showing oftheir film A Hard Day’sNight. With John, Ringo,George and Paul areAlderman Louis Caplanand Lady Mayoress MrsFanny Bodeker.Forty-four years later, in2008, and then-LordMayor Steve Rotheramrecreates the scene withthe help of somewaxwork BeatlesLower Picture:COLIN LANE

GOOD NIGHT: Fans gather behindthe town hall in Exchange Flags forthe northern premiere of A HardDay's Night in Liverpool, above.Right: The Beatles arrive at Spekeairport on their way to thescreening. Left: Actor WilfredBrambell, who appeared in the film(perhaps better known as AlbertSteptoe from the TV sitcom Steptoeand Son) outside the town hall

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 17★★★★


Doyouwanttoknowasecret?

Besides their homes and earlyconcert venues, there are manyplaces around Merseyside whichhad special significance for theBeatles and their songs – somebetter known than others, explainsBeatles expert PETER GRANT

THE Picton Clock -now there's one ofLiverpool's greatest secrets. But don'texpect a Beatle to back it up. After all, Paulstill says that Eleanor Rigby was a made-upname even though there's a gravestone to

the lady in St Peter's churchyard.The Picton Clock, or Wavertree Clock, around the

corner from George's house in Arnold Grove is nowphotographed by tourists.

Why ?On the tour coach I always pointed out that this

was where John, George and Paul would get the businto town (they'd get Richie along the way).

George's dad, Harry, was a bus driver and if theywere lucky they didn't have to pay.

But the meeting place is important.Did Paul read the poem (photographed here) and

memorise the key words and years later put theminto Lady Madonna? .... SEE HOW THEY RUN

They also make a guest appearance in I Am TheWalrus.

It’s not hard to imagine the words becomingembedded in the fertile mind of a young songwriter,only to appear again at a later date as perhaps anunconscious reminder of adolescent years.

Here’s the poem – see what you think.But one thing is for sure – in this part of Liverpool

you are always treading in the footsteps of theBeatles.

Hereby we see the minutes, how they run:How many make the hours full complete:

How many hours bring about the day,How many days will finish up the year,

So minutes, hours, days, weeks, months andyears.

Pass’d over to the end they were created,Would bring white hairs unto a quiet grave.

It’s more than 50 years since the young John,Paul, George and Ringo first began to exploretheir city.

But despite the pace and scale of change inrecent times throughout Liverpool, you’llalways come across a familiar place that haslinks with a piece of Beatle history – as thepictures on these pages, and the following two,prove.

ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK: A regularmeeting place for the young Beatles, Picton –or Wavertree – Clock at the junction ofChildwall Road, Church Road North and theHigh Street is one of south Liverpool’sbest-known landmarks. But did it also inspireone of the band’s best-known songs?

Picture: ANDREW TEEBAY

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Tuesday, July 6, 201018 ★★★★

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PUB ROCK: Round the cornerfrom where Ringo used to live, inthe famous Welsh streets of theDingle, The Empress, left, featuredon the cover of his solo albumSentimental Journey, aboveMain picture: EDDIE BARFORD

Beer, thereandeverywhere ...

THE Beatles had many favourite watering holesaround Liverpool – and most are still very muchopen for business.

Here’s a Fab Five:● The Grapes

Located on Mathew Street, just along from theworld famous Cavern, the Grapes rightfullyoccupies a prime position in the hit parade ofBeatle landmarks.

When the queues of predominantly teenagefans stretched down the street, whatever theweather, The Grapes was guaranteed to bealways crowded – particularly as the Cavern wasan alcohol-free venue.

The Mathew Street webcam number three,hosted by the pub, provides you with a chance topreserve your own personal memory within theon line gallery of over 1,000 images.

With its lively mix of memorabilia on tap toquench even the thirstiest of enquiring Beatlefans, you could still find yourself sharing a tablewith someone who can truthfully tell you “I wasthere”.● The White Star

Just around the corner, where Allan Williamsis immortalised on the wall.● Ye Cracke

Clinging to the steeply inclined streetssurrounding Liverpool Art College, Ye Crackeprovided a regular meeting point for JohnLennon, Stuart Sutcliffe and a great many otherstudents, alongside poets, painters andpub-politicians. With a rough and ready interior,not much has changed since the grainy black andwhite photographed days when the myopicteenage John frowned and squinted at thecamera as he posed with college friends outsidethe pub – the famous NHS glasses firmly keptout of sight.

● The PhilharmonicWhen asked what was the biggest drag about

being a Beatle John said: "Not being able to havea pint in the Phil."● The Jacaranda

Another Bohemian haunt popular with artstudents, the Jacaranda was opened in on oldwatchmaker’s shop in 1957 by Allan Williams -who was to become the Beatles’ first managerand known forever after as the man who gave theBeatles away. It was outside ‘The Jac’ that theBeatles climbed into the van that would takethem to Hamburg for the first time.

Now veterans of cramped and dimly litliving-room sized clubs across Merseyside, theywould find little improvement in the way ofcomforts or facilities in the red light area streetsof Hamburg.

GRAPES OF FROTH: Paul McCartney, Pete Best, George Harrison and JohnLennon enjoy a pint in the Grapes Pub in Mathew Street

FAB FAVE: Ye Cracke, in Rice Street

DRINK YOUR PHIL: The Philharmonic on Hope Street. John once said thatbeing able to have a quiet pint in the Phil was the thing he missed most aboutlife before fame Picture: TRACEY O’NEILL

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 19★★★★


Here, thereandeverywhere . . .

PARK LIFE: The bandstand in Sefton Park which is thought to have inspired Sgt Pepper and, right, thePalm House which George helped to restore.

Pictures: PAUL HEAPS, above, and STEPHEN SHAKESHAFT, right

GEORGE Melly loved The Beatles.He told me so. In a suit as loudas one of their Sgt Pepperoutfits, I drank with thecolourful singer before he went

on stage in London."Dear Boy, " he said, “they ARE

Liverpool."You think of them and the city comes up

in your mind."How right he was.On the day I met him he had, in his

inside pocket, a white envelope."Do you know, old chap,” he said ( after

two large G and Ts I went from a boy to oldchap).

“What do you think is in here?”I told him I wasn't a psychic.He laughed.And he said: "It's a cheque from George

Harrison to go towards the renovation ofthe Palm House."

The beautiful Sefton Park Palm Housewas in an ugly way and a campaign was

mounted to restore it to its former glory.As a journalist I asked Mr Melly how

much it was for and he put his finger to hislips and said “never shall be told”.

George Harrison, he pointed out, didn'twant publicity.

In his autobiography I Me Mine, GeorgeHarrison dedicated it to GardenersEverywhere.

If he hadn't been a Beatle he would havebeen a gardener.

People ask for a monument to George buthe wasn't into statues

The Palm House is where, maybe, weshould put a fountain.

It's in Sefton Park where all the Fabswent as kids.

The bandstand is where Sgt Pepper typebrass bands played.

It is now officially recognised as aninspiration for the Lonely HeartsClub Band with a sign board.

Paul used to row boats there in thelake with his dad. Brother Mike tookpictures.

A lot of romances were made there.They must have ended up in lyrics.There is a Beatle tour now in

London. You can jump on a bus andlisten about their capitalachievements.

But that's there.This is Liverpool – they were born and

brought up here and would have stayed hadfame not come along.

The Fab Four are as much a part of thefabric of the city as football, humour andmusic.

by PETERGRANT

MY SWEET LAWN: Olivia Harrison, George’swidow, with Ringo Starr in a garden dedicated toGeorge’s memory at the Chelsea Flower Show in2008. George’s love of gardens was revealed afterhis death in his secret support of the Sefton ParkPalm House restoration project

Tuesday, July 6, 201020 ★★★★

inassociationwith

ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE: The statue ofEleanor Rigby by Tommy Steele in Stanley Streetand, below, stone mason Lee Dillon repairs thereal Eleanor Rigby’s grave at St Peter's Church,Woolton – scene of the famous Lennon andMcCartney meetingBelow left: the statue at Cavern WalksPictures: JASON ROBERTSand JAMES MALONEY

THESE BIRDS HAVEFLOWN: CherieBlair and Yoko Ono,left, with the statueof John Lennon atLiverpool Airport,which was renamedin his honour in2002 Picture: EDDIEBARFORD

YOU WON’T SEE ME: ArthurDooley’s statue of Four LadsWho Shook The World, above,being carried as babies by aMadonna-esque female figure, isperched high on the wall inMathew Street and could bemissed by some touristsPicture: HOWARD DAVIES

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 21★★★★


Claytrippers

THERE was a time when there wasn'ta statue in Liverpool to mark TheBeatles. It took DJ Pete Price to starta campaign to get something set upin honour of the band.

The late Arthur Dooley created the nowfamous Mathew Street statue Four Lads WhoShook The World.

Since then they've sprouted up every where.There is the Cavern Walks creation, by John

Doubleday – at the unveiling, Mike McCartneysaid: "Which one is our kid?"

Outside the Cavern you have a leather clad,solo Lennon staring down Mathew Street.

He is depicting his Hamburg days but he'shome now and standing in front of all of the'fame bricks' detailing everyone who hadplayed the venue just like he did – 292 times.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, because of itslocation, this is one of the most popular,photographed statues in Liverpool.

The Beatle Shop down the road has afantastic version of The Beatles peering outover their door way. On the day George diedsomeone climbed up and planted a rose nearhim.

Around the corner in Stanley Street isEleanor Rigby – lovingly crafted by TommySteele. Inside her bronze frame she has acopy of the Liverpool ECHO.

And the Hard Days Night Hotel has allfour Beatles standing on the ledge.

There are plaques to the Beatles all overthe city even one in Ye Cracke pub, and theycan be found in the remotest places wherethey played.

Isn't it a pity there isn't one for GeorgeHarrison outside his house ... sadly, youhave to be dead for 20 years before they’ll doit. George would have loved the irony.

At John Lennon International Airport wehave Tom Murphy's Lennon with his peacesign. It was unveiled by Yoko andphotographed by everyone who passesthrough.

What did Ringo think of that?"They could have named the baggage

carousel after me."Quite.

STATUE, GEORGE? The Fab Four’s statueabove the Beatles Shop in Mathew Street

Where to see theBeatlesimmortalised in statuesandmemorials

by PETERGRANT

TWO OF US: Julia Baird, John Lennon’s sister, with his statue in Mathew Street, one ofthe most photographed spots in Liverpool Picture: ANDREW TEEBAY

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Tuesday, July 6, 201022 ★★★★

inassociationwith

Aretheseplacesyou’ll remember?

1) On which album track does John sing about Dingle's‘Cast Iron shore?’

2) The Beatles mentioned Liverpool once on an albumtrack – which one?3) When Paul played his Cavern comeback, where did hego for a post-show lager?4) George Harrison made a flying visit to his home town inthe late 90s with wife Olivia. What city centre pub did hestop off at?

a) The Grapesb) The White Starc) The Crocodile

5) True or False: the video for the Beatles Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields double A side single was filmed in theactual locations.6) Paul returned to the Liverpool Empire for a concert tomark George's death. What song did he sing for his oldpal?7) Which pub featured on the cover of Ringo'sSentimental Journey album?8) True or False: Paul once worked in Lewis's departmentstore and later went back with his band to play acorporate do when they were nearly famous.9) True or False: George Harrison was an apprenticeelectrician in Blacklers?10) What was the real name of the Fish and Chip Boat, onwhich The Beatles used to play11) In what song written by John, for Ringo, does he say"When I Was a Little Boy, Way Back Home in Liverpool?"12) In which part of Liverpool will you find streets namedafter the Fab Four?

a) Toxtethb) West Derbyc) Kensington

13) Which theatre hosted the world premiere of themusical Lennon?14) Where is the Lennon musical being re staged in 2010?15) The Odeon in London Road played a big part in Beatlehistory. What film about their early career premieredthere on March 24, 199416) True or False: A pub on Merseyside called theLiverpool Arms featured in the film A Hard Day's Night17) Which Beatle was born at Liverpool MaternityHospital, Oxford Street?18) When tourists come toLiverpool what are theysometimes disappointed NOT to find?

a) The Abbey Road zebra crossingb) A Yellow Submarine

c) The Cavern Club19) Yoko appeared in Liverpool before she met John , at an'art happening'. Where was it?

a) The Playhouseb) The Bluecoat

c) The Japanese Culture Club20) What famous music paper had its office in 81aRenshaw Street?21) True or False: The Rutles were originally going to becalled The Bootles22) Which famous Liverpool guitar shop The Beatlesfrequented was featured in the film Ferry 'Cross theMersey?23) Why is 64 Mount Pleasant significant to Beatle fans?24) Where was the funeral service for Cavern DJ BobWooler held, attended by hundreds of Merseybeatmusicians?25) Which Beatle said: “Liverpool keeps me feet on theground.”

Test your knowledgeofBeatleplacesand facts inourquiz

Onlysolutions(asJohnwouldsay)1)GlassOnion2)MaggieMayonLetItBe3)TheSportsBarnextdoor4)C)TheCrocodile5)False:TheywerefilmedinHydePark.6)Yesterday7)TheEmpressinDingle8)True9)True10)TheRoyalIris

11)IAmTheGreatest,fromRingo'sdebutsoloalbum12)C)Kensington13)TheEveryman14)RoyalCourt15)Backbeat16)False.DickLesterusedaLondonpubandchangeditsnameforfilming.17)JohnLennononOctober9,194018)aTheZebraCrossing;manybelieveitishereinLiverpool

19)B)TheBluecoat20)MerseyBeat21)True.TheBootleswasthenameNeilInneslikedwhenhesawthesignashedroveintoLiverpool.EricIdledidn'tlikeit22)Hessy's.23)It'swhereJohnmarriedCynthia.ItusedtobeaRegisterOffice24)StNick'sChurchatthePierHead25)Paul,astoldtotheLiverpoolECHO.

21

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Tuesday, July 6, 2010 23★★★★


★★★★

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In the Footsteps Of The Fab Four