Strawberry Field
Beaconsfield Road, Liverpool L25 6EJ
+44 151 252 6130
Originally a Salvation Army property and visitor attraction in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton. It operated as a children’s home between 1936 and 2005. The house and grounds had originally been built as a private residence in the Victorian era, before being acquired by the Salvation Army in the 1930s. The house was demolished in 1973 due to structural problems and replaced with purpose-built units. After being closed as a children’s home, it continued to be used by the Salvation Army for other purposes.
John Lennon lived nearby on Menlove Avenue with his Aunty Mimi, and used to climb over the wall after various celebrations and ‘nick’ empty lemonade and beer bottles and take them to the local sweet shop to retrieve the one penny deposit per bottle, and use it to buy ciggies. You could buy them one at a time in those days, they were known as a “loosie.”
I remember that as a little kid, my brother Bob used to send me to the local shop to buy him a loosie. Age was not a condition of a sale in those days.
In more recent times, it became the theme for John’s popular song, Strawberry Fields Forever. Its gates have been subjected to su much graffiti, that during the recent refurbishment of the property, the new gates were treated with an anti-graffiti substance which it is hoped will make them retain their pristine condition.
I was scheduled to re open to the public as a tourist attraction in mid 2020.
A monument to John was also erected after his death in Central Park, New York, bearing the image of “Imagine.”
Phone ahead for availability to tour this very special attraction.
Map Link:
https://g.page/StrawberryField?share
Check their website: http://www.strawberryfieldliverpool.com/
