George Harrison birth location

I've visited the birth locations of all Beatles but realised I hadn’t had a look at Arnold Grove where George was born for many years. There’s a blue plaque bolted to the wall now - and a chain across the top of the cul-de-sac street. As I got out of the car I said to a man, “Number 12 isn’t it?” and he said yes but only residents are allowed and “you’ll have to stand there to take a photo.” He meant behind the wire. I can understand why. The last I visited I was on board the Magical Mystery Tour bus and me and forty other people were allowed ten minutes to run up an alley and flooded into the short street. This happened about five times a day.

George was born here in February 1943 Wavertree, a threadbare district of Liverpool (still is) as World War Two raged. He was the youngest of four children to dad Harold and Louise who were Roman Catholics with Irish roots. His dad was a bus conductor who had worked as a ship’s steward on the White Star Line (think Titanic) and his mum worked in a shop.

This tiny ‘two up two down’ terrace had an outdoor toilet and the only source of heat for the whole house was a single coal fire. At the time Liverpool was most heavily bombed city outside of London but Wavertree was four miles away from the docks which was the prime target.

George was six when the Harrisons moved to a council house at 25 Upton Green in Liverpool’s Speke area (near Penny Lane.) He passed his 11 Plus exam and won a place at the Liverpool Institute for Boys but he was a poor student and left at 16 without any qualifications. His only job was as an apprentice electrician at Blacklers department store before becoming a full-time musician with The Beatles.

George thought his birthday was Thursday 25^th February but in the 80's he discovered he was actually born at 11:42 the night before.

When you see early footage of The Beatles they all smoked. They all gave it up but George was addicted and couldn’t give up (I read he was on 50 a day). He paid the predictable price of an early death from lung cancer at 58.

I was going to step over the chain and take more photos but thought the residents have had enough of it. The plaque was unveiled in May 2024 by his wife Olivia. If only George could give up the cancer sticks he’d probably be alive now. I did a salute and left.

George's final home, Friar Park...