Forthlin Road

You can visit the barber shop on Penny Lane, see the famous red gates of Strawberry Fields and, thanks to the National Trust, your trip to Liverpool can be complete with a visit to the childhood home of James Paul McCartney, one half of possibly the most successful song writing duo of all time.

Paul lived at the 1950s terraced house with his father Jim and younger brother Michael. The house has been described by some as 'one of the most important houses in the history of popular music'. It is the place where four young men rehearsed and wrote many of the early songs that led to them being adored and admired by millions.

The four men were to become known as 'The Beatles'.

The house has been lovingly restored by the Trust so it now reflects the 1950s and early 1960s. The original wallpaper has been relaid, along with the original linoleum. Furniture, lights and light switches have been replaced with ones from the 1950s. The original doors have also been replaced, apart from Paul's, which is hung from a wall in the Hard Rock Cafe in London.

The Trust organise tours to the house, so visitors can discover what life was really like for Paul and his brother. Audio tour guides mean that visitors can hear the music and the memories of those who were there, including Sir Paul. There are also a number of spectacular photographs of that time, by Michael McCartney.

Michael McCartney also formed his band The Scaffold, who had hits with Thank U Very Much and the Christmas number one in 1968, Lily the Pink.

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