John Lennon | Postcards From Here and There

Liverpool and The Beatles

It’s International Beatles Week from 22nd – 28th August with numerous events planned in their hometown of Liverpool. In light of this I thought I’d share a post highlighting some of the Beatles related locations that can be found in and around the city.

Liverpool and The Beatles are still inexorably entangled despite their last performance in the city being in December 1965, over 50 years ago. The Beatles came from Liverpool and it hasn’t been forgotten in the intervening years, they are as much a part of the city today as they were in their heyday in the sixties. The result is that there is much to see and do and a Beatles tour is time well spent.

In the city centre.

Pier Head Statue

The Beatles Story – Albert Dock

This is a museum devoted to all things Beatles set in the historic Albert Dock. An experience that is really well done with recreations of some of the iconic locations associated with the Fab Four. You can visit the website here

John Lennon -Mathew Street

Made by Liverpool artist Arthur Dooley the statue of John Lennon is one of the oldest ‘musical’ statues in the city.

Four Lads Who Shook The World – Mathew Street

Also by Arthur Dooley this was moved from its original position opposite The Grapes to be next to the Lennon statue.

The Cavern – Mathew Street

The club itself first opened its doors as a jazz club in 1957 but will always be remembered for the nearly 300 appearances The Beatles made in the early sixties.

The original club closed in 1973 following the sale of the building and its proposed demolition to make way for a ventilation shaft for the new Merseyrail underground railway. The shaft was never built and the site became a car park for a short while.

The Cavern was rebuilt in 1984. Plans to redevelop the original site were shelved when it was discovered that the demolition of the building had caused damage to the underground cellars in which The Cavern were housed. As a result fifteen hundred bricks from the original Cavern were used to recreate the new Cavern. It is today one of Liverpools top tourist attractions.

Eleanor Rigby Statue – Stanley Street

The Jacaranda – Slater Street

The Jacaranda was opened as a coffee bar in 1958 by Allan Williams who was later to become The Beatles first manager. The band made several appearances here in their early days.

The Blue Angel – Seel Street

Once owned by Allan Williams and a venue played by The Beatles in their early days. The Blue Angel is steeped in rock history as many other important rock acts played here in the 1960s including Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. it is also known locally as The Raz.

Number 4 Rodney Street

The birth place of Brian Epstein, manager of The Beatles from 1962 until his untimely death in 1967.The importance of Epstein in the career of The Beatles can not be underestimated. A small plaque on the wall commemorates his birth here.

Outside the city centre

Penny Lane

It is the junction of Penny Lane where it meets Smithdown Road and Allerton Road that is of the most interest to Beatles fans. In the 60’s it was the location of a bus terminus, the bus shelter is now a bistro. The barbers shop is still there but the fire station is actually a little further along Allerton Road. Nevertheless it is so closely associated with The Beatles song that it is still such a great location to visit.

Mendips – 251 Menlove Avenue

Mendips was the childhood home of John Lennon. He lived here with his aunt Mimi from 1946 until 1963. The house was bought by Yoko Ono in 2002 and donated to The National Trust who now manage visits here and Paul McCartneys former home in Forthlin Road. The house has been restored to how it would have been in the 1950s. Visits need to be pre booked through the National Trust website

20 Forthlin Road

Paul McCartney’s family home from 1955 until the mid 1960s. Owned and managed by The National Trust visits are part to the same ticket to visit Mendips. Unlike Mendips there is no blue plaque here as Paul is still very much alive.

Strawberry Field – Beaconsfield Road

Strawberry Fields Forever was a double A sided single along with Penny Lane and are probably the best Beatles singles that failed to reach number 1 in the UK charts. Strawberry Field was a Salvation Army children’s home close to John Lennon’s childhood home at Mendips, it had a special significance to him and he visited often in his youth though he was largely uninvited! Not much exists today and building work has recently begun to create a visitors centre and a training centre for your people with learning difficulties.

Eleanor Rigby’s Grave – St Peter’s Parish Church, Woolton

Although the song was recorded in 1966 the grave was not discovered in the churchyard until some twenty years later. John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met at the church fete here in 1957 so it is perhaps likely that McCartney came across the grave some time after this. The name lay dormant until he wrote the song but didn’t, at that time, recall where the name came from.

For those wishing a formal tour complete with commentary there are a number of options available. I list a few here but it is by no means a recommendation as I haven’t tried them

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour – Bus/coach

Liverpool Beatles Tours – minibus

Fab Four Taxi Tours – Black cab

Double Fantasy Exhibition

There can be few people that have had so much negative press over the years as Yoko Ono. There was a time when she was blamed for the break up of The Beatles, her art was derided as worthless and she was portrayed as having an unhealthy control over John Lennon. That was the late sixties/early seventies and thankfully times have changed. Despite living in New York Yoko has maintained her links with Liverpool, the city of Lennon’s birth, and much of the enmity towards her has passed since his untimely death in 1980. It is therefore fitting that she has brought the story of her relationship with Lennon here to the city of his birth in an exhibition at The Museum of Liverpool at the Pier Head, close to Andy Edwards statue of the Fab Four.

Located on the second floor, the exhibition is on until 22nd April 2019 and entry is free. You could easily get round in an hour but if you have more time to spare so much the better, you won’t regret it.

Double Fantasy tells the story of John and Yoko life together through a variety of different objects and media. These include hand written lyrics to some of Lennon’s well known songs, their wedding outfits and other iconic items of clothing, guitars, pieces of Yoko’s art work and Lennon’s hard won green card.

Video clips are used well to add context and give their own insights at the time. A while room is used to show a video recording of Lennon performing Imagine at a white piano. It starts in a darkened room and as the song develops Yoko opens shutters to bring light into the room. If you want a real insight into the couples love for each other watch it until the very end.

The walls outside the video space are given over to visitors to leave their own personal thoughts on post-it notes. Some are trivial but many are quite poignant and reveal much about how the couple are perceived today.

I found the exhibition quite moving, something I hadn’t really expected and was quite surprised by. I certainly came away with a much deeper understanding of the depth of their love for each other and how, despite all that was written about them, it endured.

The end of the exhibition deals with Lennon’s murder and its aftermath. There is a chilling statistic displayed near the exit. It speaks loud and clear that John and Yoko’s campaign messages of peace and understanding need to be heard today as much as they were over 50 years ago.

You can get more details of the exhibition by visiting the museum’s website here

Liverpool’s Musical Statues

Liverpool is a city blessed with a fine variety of statues, non more so than those that celebrate the musical icons associated with the city. For this post I will concentrate on those easily located in and around the city centre but those that arrive via the airport may well encounter a rather famous figure in the terminal building.

Ken Dodd – Lime Street Station Concourse

The statue is part of an installation entitled “Chance Meeting” by Liverpool sculptor Tom Murphy which also features Bessie Braddock who was a Liverpool Labour MP for over 30 years. The installation is usually to be found on the concourse of Lime Street station but was removed in autumn 2017 to allow for redevelopment of the station. Following the death of Ken Dodd his statue was replaced on temporary basis until the full installation is reinstalled at the end of building work. Although perhaps better known as a comedian he had 18 chart hits, mainly in the 1960s, his version of Tears selling well over a million copies.

Eleanor Rigby – Stanley Street

Eleanor Rigby was a song on The Beatles album Revolver as well as a number one single in 1966. The sculpture was made by Tommy Steele in 1982 in recognition of the work of The Beatles and their place in the city. His fee for the work was a reported three pence. Tommy Steele himself was a singer and actor in musical theatre before becoming a sculptor.

In the work she is sitting alone with her shopping at her side and her head turned towards a small bird that is on an old newspaper. There is room on the bench for you to join her. The ‘real’ Eleanor Rigby is buried in the churchyard of St Peters Parish Church, Woolton in the city.

Cilla Black – Mathew Street

Commissioned by her sons following her death in 2015, it was unveiled in January 2017 which coincided with the 60th anniversary of The Cavern Club where she worked before embarking on her singing and television career. Made by Andy Edwards and Emma Rodgers the dress has been sculpted with square panels which contain song titles etc. Cilla Black released nineteen top forty singles, mainly in the 1960s, including number one singles Anyone Who Had a Heart and You’re my World in 1964.

John Lennon – Mathew Street

Made by Liverpool artist Arthur Dooley the statue of John Lennon is one of the oldest musical statues in the city. Lennon stands against a wall opposite The Cavern, the bricks are engraved with the names of all the artists and bands that have played there. A Tom Murphy statue of Lennon is to be found at Liverpool airport to commemorate its renaming as the John Lennon Airport in 2002.

The Beatles – Pier Head

Andy Edwards statue of the Fab Four was donated to the city by the Cavern Club in 2015 to commemorate 50 years since their last appearance in the city, which was at The Empire Theatre on Lime Street. Arthur Dooleys “Four Lads Who Shook the World” installation on Mathew Street celebrated Beatle Street and their importance. This gives us the group as slightly larger than life characters looking as if they are casually walking to catch the nearby Birkenhead ferry and gives you a much greater sense of them as individuals.

Edwards has given each Beatle a personal touch; Paul McCartney carries a camera, George Harrison wears a belt with Sanskrit writing, Ringo Starr has L8 on his shoe and John Lennon holds two acorns in his hand.

Billy Fury – Albert Dock

The Tom Murphy statue of Billy Fury was moved to its current location opposite the Piermasters House at the Albert Dock in 2007. Billy Fury achieved most of his success in the rock and roll boom in the early sixties. He is much loved in the city and by his fan club who commissioned the statue in 2003. The flowers around the statue were to commemorate his birthday which was on the 17th of April.