The Beatles’ Childhood Homes

The National Trust tour is the only way to get inside the houses where John Lennon and Paul McCartney grew up.

Each tour is limited to 15 people so you need to book well in advance. After all, you are wandering around what used to be someone’s home, and a relatively modest home at that.

The morning tour minibus picks you up from Speke Hall, whilst in the afternoon the pick-up point is bus stand 2 at Liverpool South Parkway station. Getting to the homes under your own steam is not allowed as they’re in residential areas and locals probably get enough Beatles fans parking everywhere as it is.

20 Forthlin Road is where Paul McCartney spent his formative years. It’s a small, post-war terraced council house where he lived with his brother Mike and his mum and dad, although their father brought them up alone after Mary died when Paul was in his teens. It’s also the place where The Beatles began and it’s filled with memories of these early days.

The Mendips is John Lennon’s former home where he lived with his Aunt Mimi. It’s a neat and tidy 1950s semi, lovingly maintained and with a sense of being a real home. It looks just as it did when John Lennon lived there.

The tour lasts for two hours. It’s a National Trust property like no other and Beatles fans will love visiting a place of musical history.

It’s best to eat beforehand or when the tour finishes because no food or drink is allowed into the properties and there are no refreshments on site.