'Mendips' and Forthlin Road house tours - September 2005

On September 7th, I travelled up to Liverpool to visit two very famous National Trust properties - 20 Forthlin Road and 251 Menlove Avenue. I was meant to go on the 11:20 morning tour, but failed to make it on time! So we headed over to Speke Hall, just outside Liverpool town centre, to catch the afternoon trip! I was really worried about being late (on both trips!), but luckily made it over in time. When we boarded the yellow bus, I was actually quite pleased we were going in the afternoon because the only other people with us were a local couple - 4 of us in total! Not a bit booked up like the morning one was.

Our first stop was "Mendips" - 251 Menlove Avenue. The custodian, Colin, met us at the gates. We were allowed to take some photos outside the house, but not inside. As soon as I stepped foot onto the driveway, the magic and the history of the place filled my head. After learning so much about the place, I was actually about to go inside! The garden was very much as it was during John's time. The fruit trees are still there, but sadly the Elm tree, in which John made a tree house, has gone. We were shown in through the backdoor because "it's tradition". Whenever anyone visited the house, they would go in this way. The first room we entered was the kitchen, which led onto the morning room at the side of the house. Coming from the radio by the window was 'The Goons' - John's favourite. On the left-hand wall was his Quarry Bank' school photo. There was also a little dog or cat basket in the opposite corner. Mimi would sew in this room and because of this there was an old Singer sewing machine on the floor too. There was an electronic bell board in the Morning Room, which linked up to the living room. The occupants before Aunt Mimi employed servants in the house. We then walked through the hallway to the lounge at the front of the house. It was just as I'd seen it in photographs! As there weren't many of us, we were allowed to sit on the sofa and chairs while the custodian gave us a brief talk about the house and it's history. I was sat there trying to take everything in. Mimi's original photographs of her Mother, the original fireplace (which had to be moved back to the living room), original floor boards, the original light switches, original picture rails, Mimi's china cabinet…. The lady who was also on the tour, without realising it was sitting on Mimi's chair next to her bureau! - I had a sit down on it later too! On the desk were copies of John's school reports, which were interesting to read. There was definitely a sense of magic in the air. I was quite taken back by it all - Especially when the custodian mentioned the songs that had been written in this house, including 'Hello Little Girl', 'Please Please Me' and 'I'll Get You'. It also felt like we were just visiting the house as guests rather than going on an organised trip. It would've probably been quite different if all 14 people had been there too! We were then allowed to look around the house on our own. In the backroom, which used to be a 'common room' for the lodgers and where John, Cynthia and Julian lived, were a collection of family photographs on the wall and in albums. Also in a cabinet were some personal items, such as a silver case with Mimi's initials engraved onto it. There was a copy of John's first passport in one folder, which he used on his first trip to Hamburg right on into his touring days with The Beatles.

At the end of the hallway was another famous part of the house - the porch where John, Paul and George would practice as the acoustics were good in there - And they couldn't disturb Auntie Mimi too much in there! I stood on the black and white tiled floor trying to imagine them playing! Totally captivating!

Upstairs, the first room I went to was the small 'box room' at the front of the house - Otherwise known as John's bedroom. As I walked in I could hear 'Jealous Guy' playing from somewhere. The bed was on the right hand side, a wardrobe on the left and a table in the window bay - Complete with Lewis Carroll books, drawings and a pencil tin. On the walls were the posters of John's favourite stars - Including Brigitte Bardot. On a shelf behind the bed were scattered records (including Lonnie Donegan and Roy Orbison) and a few Quarry Men cards! I then went into the front bedroom, which was Auntie Mimi and Uncle George's room. According to the leaflet we were given, John wrote 'Please Please Me' here, which was quite exciting to know! The back bedroom was closed as this is where the custodian lives, but that is keeping to tradition too as John would rarely go into this room because this is where the lodgers lived. You could see into the bathroom - Complete with original tiles. They even had the old style toilet paper! Although, I don't think that was original!

It was then time to leave via the front door and head over to Forthlin Road. For me, along with Studio 2 at Abbey Road, Mendips is a very special place to be! I could've just stayed in there all day!
20 Forthlin Road, home to the McCartneys, was not far away. Like 'Mendips', I had visited the outside of the house many years ago, but not since it has been restored and opened to the public. John, the custodian of the house, greeted us. I had seen John before on the television programmes and news articles about the house and at The Beatles Convention one year. He's also a bit of a Paul look-a-like! As before, we were allowed to take photographs in the front garden and of the front of the house, but not inside. When we went into the parlour/living room the lady with us showed me 'The Cavern Stomp'! She had seen The Beatles about five times at The Cavern! Like in 'Mendips', we were allowed to sit on the sofa and chairs while John gave us a little talk. It was so surreal sitting in John Lennon and Paul McCartney's living rooms! It was a much smaller house compared to Menlove Avenue. In the parlour were two arm chairs, a sofa, a television set and an old piano, which looked like one the McCartneys owned. You tried to imagine John and Paul writing and rehearing in this room. The custodian put on a CD of Paul McCartney talking about the house and it began with one of the songs that were written in the parlour - 'I Saw Her Standing There'! Hung on the walls all around the house were black and white photos belonging to Mike and Paul McCartney. They were, in most cases positioned in the places they were taken. There was a great photo of Paul's Dad at the sink in the kitchen. The attention to detail was very accurate - I noticed that there were cups hanging on the shelf above Jim McCartney's head in the photo, so I looked to see if they were still facing the same way in 2005 - And they were! The original Belfast sink was still in the kitchen. Apparently it had been in the garden and was being used for flowers before the house was restored. The tiles on the floor were also original, as were the floorboards throughout the house. They also had vases of lavender on the window ledge - Apparently, Paul's Mother used to make lavender bags.

We were allowed to go into the garden. In the middle of the lawn was a deck chair - Tying to re-create the photograph of Paul McCartney sat in one playing his guitar. This photo is actually going to be the cover of his forthcoming album, 'Chaos And Creation In The Backyard'. The custodian pointed out to us the original drainpipe, which Paul used to climb when his Dad had locked him out at night! Again, there is a famous photo of this, which Mike McCartney took from his bedroom. Oh and we also got to see their outside toilet!

In the hallway, above the front door was a wooden plaque, which Paul and Michael had made by the National Trust. They chose the type of wood and the type of engraving. It read, "For Mum and Dad - Jim and Mary". I thought this was a really nice idea because you can easily forget this was actually their family home - Not just the birthplace of The Beatles. Mike has visited the house about six times, but Paul has yet to be given a guided tour. He has apparently knocked on the door a couple of times, but always when John, the custodian was out!

We then walked up the staircase (also original) to the bedrooms. I went into Mike's room first of all. This was the back bedroom. When the family first moved it, Paul actually shared it with his brother, but eventually moved into the box room at the front of the house - Although, he continued to keep his clothes in here. If you looked out of the window you could see a police training college with horses in the surrounding paddocks! The view was quite unexpected! - Although the college was still there in the McCartney's day.

The bathroom and front bedroom were locked, so the last place to visit was Paul's bedroom. The room was fairly basic, but like in John Lennon's bedroom, it was amazing to think of all the songs and ideas that were dreamed in this room! Before leaving the house, I had a final look in the dining room where there were various forms of Beatles memorabilia in cases and on the walls. But all too soon, we had to get back on the bus and return to Speke Hall. It was a really exciting couple of hours - Like travelling back in time! If you're not a Beatles fan, you would probably enjoy the houses in their own right (no pun intended!) as they may have been in your lifetime. Many of the fixtures and fittings were similar to that in my Gran and Grandad's old house! But if you're a Beatles fan, it was a dream come true. After hearing so much about the houses and all that had happened in them, to actually step foot inside after all this time, was incredible!

To view the photos, click here (Link opens in a new window)