For those who missed my post about Paul McCartney’s home on my publisher’s website, here it is:

A highlight of my spring trip to Liverpool, England, was a tour of Paul McCartney’s home, where he spent his teenage years. The address is on the public record and there are always people outside taking pictures, but the only way to see inside is to take a tour conducted by Britain’s National Trust.

The van drove us to the pleasant street in suburban Allerton. When the McCartneys moved here in 1955, these were rental Council Homes. Now they are owned by the residents, who must sometimes resent the influx of fans. On the other hand, it would be cool to live down the road from the former home of a Beatle, who visits the place on occasion.

The street where Paul lived

The home’s curator met us in the front yard. For the next hour, she walked us through the house and shared anecdotes. She told us that only one family lived here after the McCartneys, which made it easier to renovate the home back to its state during Paul’s time. The new residents had replaced the front windows, but The National Trust noticed that an identical house on the street had the original windows. They offered a trade, with the neighbours getting upgraded windows with installation for free.

Paul’s house with its original-style front window

Few of the original McCartney furnishings remain in the house. Paul has the piano in one of his homes, but the curator found a replica. Part of her job is to furnish the place based on the information available, such as old photographs and recollections of people who were there. Paul’s brother Mike is one of her best sources. Both brothers have homes across the Mersey from Liverpool and Mike often visits the house. Recently he unearthed photographs he took of Paul, John and George during their youths. These are now displayed in the living room. Paul also takes an active interest in the house, but Paul has many homes, the curator said, and is less available.

This portrait of Paul and Mike with their mother is in the back bedroom

Paul’s mother died a year after the family moved in. Yet Paul said he recalls his time in the house as mostly happy. This is a testament to Paul’s sunny nature, but his mother’s death touched him deeply. Originally Paul and Mike shared the large bedroom at the back of the house. After their mother died, Paul moved to the small room at the front because needed alone time. The curator added that when John Lennon’s mother was killed in a bus accident a few years later it cemented a bond between the two teenage musicians. Their shared sadness enhanced the chemistry that enabled them to write so many songs that touched the world.

Photos aren’t permitted in the house, but someone snuck this shot of Paul’s small bedroom and posted it on the Internet.

We topped up our visit to Liverpool with a Hop-on-hop-off bus ride that took us past the art college Paul, George and John attended, Ringo’s street and other Beatles sites. We stopped at Penny Lane for a photo op. The guide told us that that the real setting for that song was down the road at Smithdown Place. We drove past the barbershop and roundabout like teenage Paul did daily on his way to and from school. Presumably Paul felt the name Smithdown Place had a less melodic ring than Penny Lane.

Our tour of Beatles sites finished with the Cavern Club, a recreated venue of the place where the band made its breakthrough. A singer/guitarist, who wasn’t born at that time, entertained the packed room with Beatles songs. It was both nostalgic and currently happening. This July Paul McCartney made a surprise appearance at the Cavern to promote his new album release. He played for two hours to an audience of 350, who must have felt themselves the luckiest people in the world.

The Cavern today

George, Paul & John at the original Cavern Club

For those who missed it, here’s my August post from my publisher Books We Love’s website.

I became a teenager in February 1964, when The Beatles exploded on the North American scene. One week I was playing with dolls; the next week I was glued to top 40 radio and in love with Paul. So when my husband Will and I visited England this spring, it was natural for us to include a stop in Liverpool, home of the fab four. We discovered that Britain’s National Trust has bought John Lennon’s and Paul McCartney’s boyhood homes and offers tours to the public. Will and I reserved  spots on the 16 person van, not really knowing what to expect.

The driver took us first to John’s house in Woolton, an affluent middle class suburb. The home’s curator met us in the front yard and said that we can thank Yoko Ono for this tour. After John’s death, Yoko purchased the house and donated it to The National Trust, along with money to develop and maintain it. The National Trust later bought Paul’s home and hired a husband and wife to act as curators. The couple does research, buys artifacts from the boys’ time and conducts tours, which are the only way for people to see inside. No indoor pictures are permitted. The curator also asked us to turn off our cell phones to preserve the homes’ 1950s and 60s atmosphere.

The curator explained the basics of John’s story, known to most Beatles fans. When John was five, his aunt Mimi took over his upraising because she viewed his mother, her sister Julia, as irresponsible and John’s father was out of the picture. John adored Julia, the creative, rebellious and fun sister and was devastated by her death. The curator pointed out the intersection where Julia was struck by a bus. John’s boyhood friend, who has become a resource and friend of the curator, told him that Julia had stopped in to visit Mimi that night. The friend showed up, looking for John, and walked with Julia to the bus stop. Minutes later he heard and saw the crush, but was too late to save her.

The curator took us around to the back entrance, since upwardly mobile Mimi had reserved the front door for esteemed guests like the minister. Paul always entered by the kitchen too. Before she met Paul, Mimi was concerned about the working class teenager’s friendship with John. But Paul’s manners and refined speech passed her test. In contrast, Mimi later judged George Harrison scruffy and scorned his Liverpool scouse dialect. Still she let the boys practice their music in her living room, perhaps to keep an eye on them. Mimi was concerned about John’s growing disinterest in his school work, despite his academic abilities. In retrospect her view that John would be a failure if he didn’t go to university seems narrow and short sighted, what who could foresee the delinquent youth would become a famous Beatle? Mimi’s husband died when John was about aged 10. So that she could afford to give John the opportunities she wanted for him, Mimi took in boarders and slept in her small sitting room. Evidently John appreciated all she did. The curator said that John phoned Mimi every week until his death.

Gate to Strawberry Field near John’s boyhood home. John’s friend said that, as boys, they would climb the gate into the orphanage grounds to escape his Aunt Mimi’s watchful eye.

Inside the home, the curator guided us through the ground floor, decorated in Mimi’s 1950s style. A few of her original pieces remain in the living room. She converted the dining room to a bedroom for John and Cynthia when they married and had baby Julian. Of course, John was always on the road by this point and rarely home. Cynthia found the living arrangement uncomfortable since Mimi didn’t like the baby’s crying. Cynthia would take Julian into the back yard until he calmed down.

Aunt Mimi’s back yard

The curator let us wander on our own upstairs. We saw John’s small bedroom, with a guitar and posters like the ones his friend remembered being on the walls. When Mimi sold the house, John was rich. He and Mimi kept few of the original furnishings and items. John bought himself an even more posh house and later one for Mimi when she was tired of fans hanging around outside her door.

After our hour at John’s and Mimi’s home, the van took us Paul’s house, about a 15 minute drive away. I’ll blog about that visit next month. Before leaving the tour, I asked the curator of Paul’s house if The National Trust had plans to buy Ringo’s and George’s boyhood homes. She said this would be problematic. Ringo’s home has since gone through many owners and would be difficult to return to its state at the time Ringo lived there. George’s home is on a quiet court and neighbours would find the fans obtrusive. But I expect The National Trust will find a way around these problems if their tours of John’s and Paul’s homes become super popular with the world’s legion of Beatles fans.

Me and John across from Liverpool’s Cavern Club, which launched The Beatles to fame.