251 Menlove Avenueis the childhood home ofthe Beatles'John Lennon.Located in theWooltonsuburb ofLiverpool,it was namedMendipsafter theMendip Hills.The Grade IIlisted buildingis preserved by theNational Trust.[1]
| Mendips, Menlove Avenue | |
|---|---|
 Mendips, the childhood home ofJohn Lennon | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Semi-detached |
| Location | Woolton,Liverpool,England |
| Address | 251 Menlove Avenue, Liverpool, L25 7SA |
| Coordinates | 53°22′38″N2°52′53″W/ 53.377222°N 2.881389°W |
| Owner | National Trust |
| Website | |
| www | |
Residence of John Lennon
editThe 1933-built[1]semi-detachedproperty, which belonged toJohn Lennon's auntMimiand her husbandGeorge Smith,is inWoolton,southLiverpool.Lennon moved there in July 1946 at the age of five from 9 Newcastle Road in the nearby suburb ofWavertree.He lived at Mendips afterhis mother,who was living with her boyfriend, was persuaded that it would be better for his Aunt Mimi and George to take care of him. He remained at Mendips until mid-1963, when he was 22 years old. It was approximately 30 metres north west of this house that Lennon's mother Julia was hit by a car and killed on the evening of 15 July 1958.
In 1965 Mimi sold the property, taking away some of the furnishings and giving away others.[1]
National Trust acquisition
edit
Despite having purchased20 Forthlin Road,the childhood residence ofPaul McCartney,theNational Trustshowed no interest in acquiring Mendips, claiming that, unlike McCartney's home, no Beatles songs had been composed there. However, McCartney recalls at least one song, "I'll Get You",being written there.[2]"Please Please Me"was also written there.[3][4]
During the filming of the American TV filmIn His Life: The John Lennon Storyin 2000, the then-owner of the house allowed the film crew inside, and also allowed them to knock down a downstairs wall to make room for the cameras. This resulted in 150 bricks being removed, which were later sold to Beatles fans.[5]
On 7 December 2000, the day before the 20th anniversary of John Lennon's death, 251 Menlove Avenue was adorned with anEnglish Heritageblue plaque,carrying the text "JOHN LENNON 1940–1980 Musician and Songwriter lived here 1945–1963".[6]
Lennon's widowYoko Onobought the house in March 2002, and donated it to the National Trust in order to save it from further demolition and property speculators.[3]The house was then restored to its 1950s appearance. At a joint press conference with the National Trust in March 2003, when it was announced that the restoration work was finished and the house would be opened to the public, Yoko Ono said: "When John's house came up for sale I wanted to preserve it for the people of Liverpool and John Lennon and Beatles fans all over the world."[7]
Every year on the anniversary of his death, the National Trust leave the bedroom light on in John Lennon's childhood home, all night.[citation needed]
In February 2012, both this house and Paul McCartney's childhood home at20 Forthlin RoadwereGrade II listedby English Heritage.[8]
In popular culture
edit- The house is featured on the sleeve ofOasis'single "Live Forever".[9]
- Menlove Ave.is a John Lennon album, posthumously released in 1986 under the supervision of Yoko Ono.
See also
edit- 12 Arnold Grove:childhood home ofGeorge Harrison
- 10 Admiral Grove:childhood home ofRingo Starr
- 20 Forthlin Road:childhood home ofPaul McCartney
- Kenwood
- Tittenhurst Park
- The Dakota
References
edit- ^abc"Mendips, 251 Menlove Avenue, Liverpool".Historic England.28 February 2012.Retrieved8 September2019.
- ^Harry, Bill(1992).The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia.London: Virgin. p. 322.ISBN0-86369-681-3.
- ^ab"Yoko buys Lennon's childhood home".BBC News.14 March 2002.Retrieved18 June2015.
- ^Whitney, Anna (11 June 2001)."National Trust deems Lennon's childhood home 'not as significant' as McCartney's".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 30 December 2021.
- ^"Lennon's housebricks for sale".BBC News.9 November 2000.Retrieved18 June2015.
- ^"English Heritage Blue Plaques in Liverpool & Merseyside, Southampton, Birmingham and Portsmouth"(PDF).English Heritage.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 15 August 2017.Retrieved18 June2015.
- ^Moss, Richard (27 March 2003)."Imagine – John Lennon's Bedroom Open To The Public".Culture24.Retrieved18 June2015.
- ^"Lennon and McCartney homes given Grade II listed status".BBC News.29 February 2012.Retrieved18 June2015.
- ^NME staff (18 August 2015)."Oasis – The Stories Behind Their Cryptic Album and Single Sleeve Art".NME.Archivedfrom the original on 27 April 2017.Retrieved1 March2018.
External links
edit- "Beatles Childhood Homes".National Trust.
- "In pictures: Inside Lennon's home".BBC News.11 September 2009.
- "Liverpool: Beatle Homes".Jacobs School of Music.Archived fromthe originalon 10 February 2010.
- "Mendips, 251 Menlove Avenue, Liverpool".Historic England.