A great British city to explore music history is Liverpool, the home of The Beatles. In this Northern England destination, you can actually visit some of the most famous sites that inspired the popular songs from John, Paul, George and Ringo and immerse yourself in Beatlemania to gain a better understanding of what makes Liverpool tick. Here are some of the top sights to see.
#1 The Beatles Story
Head to Albert Dock, where museums, restaurants and shops beckon travelers, as does The Beatles Story, a museum that charts the history of The Beatles. A recreation of The Cavern Club, a popular rock and roll venue where the Beatles often played in the early 1960’s, and the white room dedicated to John Lennon bring this museum’s core to new emotional heights.
#2 Penny Lane
There is an actual Penny Lane, and as local guide Paul Beesley explained to me, the places that inspired this Beatles song are still in existence.
“In fact, two out of the three of the places are still being used today for the same purpose. The shelter in the middle of the roundabout was originally a tram and bus waiting shelter and is still a bus terminus,” said Beesley.
“The bank on the corner is still a bank today all these years on and also the barber shop. Back in the 1940’s and 50’s an Italian barber, Mr Bioletti had the barber shop at Penny Lane and the building is still a barber shop today, but the simple reason that Penny Lane was featured as a Beatles song was that three of the Beatles- John, Paul and George- lived around this area as young boys. They knew these places and as the words of the song say, Penny Lane really was in their ears and in their eyes on a daily basis.”
#3 Strawberry Field
Just down the road from Penny Lane, another site of childhood nostalgia sparked one of the Beatles most adventurous and critically acclaimed songs. Strawberry Field is located just around the corner where John Lennon lived for most of his life in Liverpool. It was a place that John and other neighborhood children came to play and a childhood memory that inspired music in much the same way as Penny Lane.
Strawberry Field was a children’s home run by the Salvation Army. In the summer month’s, John was brought to garden parties at Strawberry Field by his Aunt Mimi, who raised him nearby in a house called Mendips, which is also open for tours through the National Trust. Paul McCartney’s childhood home is as well, taking travelers into the rooms where “I saw her standing there” and “Please, please me” were written. So next time you hear a Beatles song, think back to their roots and take heart that the sites that inspired their creativity live on in Liverpool.
