20,
Forthlin Road, Allerton, Liverpool (Paul McCartney’s childhood home)
I saw an article in the newspaper
showing Paul McCartney returning to the neat three-bedroom terraced family home
in Allerton. He hadn’t been back for 54 years which is difficult to believe - surely
he’d have taken his last couple of wives on tours of childhood places - surely!
He said nothing had changed though the shops on the high street were no long
independent ones. These days it’s preserved and owned by the National Trust.
Paul moved into this local-authority house with
his mum, dad and brother Mike in 1955 when he was attending secondary school.
It’s about five miles from the city centre and still is a respectable suburb.
It still captures the 'blue suburban skies' of his early life in Liverpool.
Paul has said that his mother wanted “to get us out of a bad area into a
slightly posh area so perhaps some of the posh might rub off on us.” His mum
Mary was the prime earner and her wages as a mid-wife had allowed them to rent
the house. She rode on a bicycle to see her patients and Paul can remember her
leaving the house in the middle of the night to deliver babies. Sadly she died
of an embolism on 31st October 1956 about year after they had moved
in (Paul was 14.)
Paul’s dad Jim was a trumpet player and pianist
and an upright piano was sat in the front room. He encouraged both Paul and Mike’s
musical endeavours. Though he told Paul to take piano lessons he preferred to
learn by ear. This 1920's house is known as “the birthplace of the Beatles” as
so many songs were created and practised here. John and Paul smoked here
knowing Paul’s dad would be out for hours working. Paul’s brother Mike was in a
group called The Scaffold and they wrote songs here in the front room too.
In the mid-fifties the house was worth £2,000 but
now they go for approximately £160,000. By 1964 Paul used Beatles earnings to
buy his dad a house across the River Mersey in Helswall, a wealthy area on The
Wirral.
Here I am at the house with Japanese friend
Mamiko who couldn’t quite believe she was there (all the way from Japan.)
Touching the door knocker…
Mamiko couldn’t quite belive she was
here…
Paul is ageing well…
In 1964...
