LIVERPOOL BEATLE WEEK 27 Aug 2002

20 FORTHLIN ROAD was the home of PAUL McCARTNEY 1955-1963. Paul's mother MARY lived here only for a year before she died in cancer, leaving father JIM lonely with Paul and his brother MIKE. Behind the window was the living-room, where PAUL and JOHN wrote many of The Beatles' classics like 'I Saw Her Standing There', 'Love Me Do', 'When I'm Sixty-Four', 'I'll Follow The Sun', 'One After 909', 'She Loves You', and others.

The house is totally renovated by THE NATIONAL TRUST, returning the house to the appearance it had in the McCartney's time. Even the furniture is the same! On the walls MIKE McCARTNEY's haunting photos of the family hang. Sitting in the same room, where many of The Beatles' most famous songs were written, cannot be described! To see the garden on the backside, seen on many photos, is also an emotional feeling. Even papa JIM's resting-chair is there! After having been here in 1998, it was nice coming back. This year we got a personal guidance by the custodian John, since the tape-recorder system was out of order. It was nice to hear his personal stories.

251 MENLOVE AVENUE, called 'MENDIPS', was JOHN LENNON's home 1945-1963. He lived here with AUNT MIMI and UNCLE GEORGE, after his mother JULIA had left him here for his auntie to bring up. A neat semi-detached suburban home. John did not come from the slums of Liverpool! On the second floor over the entrance, you can see the window of his bedroom. There, he and Paul wrote 'Please Please Me', 'I'll Get You', 'I Call Your Name' and 'Hello Little Girl'.
Here Ulla stands just outside the porch, which had the right echoing acoustics for John's guitar playing. He used to be banished here by Mimi to keep the noise down!

'MENDIPS' was recently bought by YOKO ONO LENNON, who very kindly donated it to The National Trust as a place for the public to visit. And now they arrange tours. We enter the garden...


Outside the Morning Room	The Kitchen door

The Morning Room was the heart of the house. Here John would listen to his favourite radio shows like 'Dick Barton' and 'The Goons'.
You are not allowed to take photos inside the house. But here you can catch a glimpse into the kitchen anyway.

We entered the kitchen door. It was a magic feeling to enter John's old home! The house has been wonderfully renovated by The National Trust. 'I lived in a semi-detached place with a small garden', John said once. And a very beautiful house it is. We went upstairs and entered John's room. 'Walking into that room today, so many years later, still gives me goosebumps. I hope you'll make your dream come true, too, as John did his', Yoko Ono Lennon says in the Mendips guidebook. We agree and thank her for her generosity and labour of love in bringing Mendips to the public.

Thanks to Bill Heckle, Dave Jones, Ray Johnson and all other at Cavern City Tours, The Fab Faux: Frank Agnello, Will Lee, Rich Pagano, Jack Petruzzelli & Jimmy Vivino, Rocks Off, Lenny Pane, Clube Big Beatles and all other wonderful Tribute Bands, happy fans, the nice people of Liverpool and off course all you wonderful friends, who attended these journeys of a lifetime! Not the least my wife Ulla, not a Beatle-fan (almost), but who has shared these experiences with me - and enjoyed it!

REFERENCES:
Cavern City Tours: 'Beatle Week Programmes' (1998-2003)
Cavern City Tours: 'Beatle's Liverpool Tour Guide & Pocket Map'
Ray Coleman: 'Lennon - The Definitive Biography' (Pan Books, 1995)
Bill Harry: 'The Beatles Encyclopedia' (Virgin Publishing, 2000)
Ron Jones: 'The Beatles' Liverpool' (1991, 2000)
Mark Lewisohn: 'The Complete Beatles Chronicle' (Pyramid Books, 1992)
Barry Miles: 'Paul McCartney - Many Years From Now' (London, 1997)
Barry Miles: 'A Diary' (Omnibus Press, 1998)
Ray O'Brian: 'There Are Places I'll Remember' (2001)
Ray O'Brian: 'There Are Places I'll Remember, Vol. 2' (2003)
Richard Porter: 'Guide To The Beatles London' (Abbey Road Café, 2000)
Piet Schreuders, Mark Lewisohn, Adam Smith: 'The Beatles London' (Hamlyn, 1994)
Brian Southall, Peter Vince, Allan Rouse: 'Abbey Road' (Omnibus Press, 1997)