
Strawberry Field, Liverpool
Strawberry Field is a former Salvation Army children’s home in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton, situated on Beaconsfield Road, a short walk from John Lennon’s childhood home. The building that existed during Lennon’s time in Liverpool opened in 1936, and was demolished in 1973 due to structural problems to be replaced with purpose-built units. The name of the children’s home was used by Lennon in the single ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’. Released in 1967, it was the first song to be recorded for “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, considered by many to be the greatest album of all time. The song is regularly voted as one of the band’s five best.
The song does not directly reference the children’s home, but its hazy, summery melody is believed to be influenced by the afternoons spent by young Lennon in woodland behind the Strawberry Field grounds. Lennon also attended the home’s summer fête with his aunt each year; she claimed that he would listen to the Salvation Army marching band warming up from his bedroom window.
In time, the old red-painted entrance gates on Beaconsfield Road became a place of pilgrimage for Beatles fans. Strawberry Field is opened to the public. There is an exhibition on its history, plus a café and a shop. It is free to visit the Strawberry Field garden, care and shop. There is a small fee for viewing the exhibition.
The gates were stolen on 11 May 2000, allegedly by two men in a transit van, and were sold to an unsuspecting antiques dealer who never realized they were the actual gates from Strawberry Field. He returned them to the police upon request, and they now stand in the grounds of Strawberry Field.
Opening times:
Summer (1st April to 31st October)
Daily 09:00-19.00 (last admission 18:00)
Winter (1st November to 31st March)
Daily 09:30-17:00 (last admission 16:00)
Why You Should Visit:
This is one of the few places associated with the Beatles' childhood that you can visit for free. Do it as part of the whole Beatles experience.
Tip:
Strawberry Field operates a minibus to take people from Albert Dock in the city center to Strawberry Field and back. The minibus leaves Royal Albert Dock at the following times: 10:00, 11:15, 13:15, 14:15, 15:15. The last bus returning to Royal Albert Dock leaves Strawberry Field at 17:00.
The song does not directly reference the children’s home, but its hazy, summery melody is believed to be influenced by the afternoons spent by young Lennon in woodland behind the Strawberry Field grounds. Lennon also attended the home’s summer fête with his aunt each year; she claimed that he would listen to the Salvation Army marching band warming up from his bedroom window.
In time, the old red-painted entrance gates on Beaconsfield Road became a place of pilgrimage for Beatles fans. Strawberry Field is opened to the public. There is an exhibition on its history, plus a café and a shop. It is free to visit the Strawberry Field garden, care and shop. There is a small fee for viewing the exhibition.
The gates were stolen on 11 May 2000, allegedly by two men in a transit van, and were sold to an unsuspecting antiques dealer who never realized they were the actual gates from Strawberry Field. He returned them to the police upon request, and they now stand in the grounds of Strawberry Field.
Opening times:
Summer (1st April to 31st October)
Daily 09:00-19.00 (last admission 18:00)
Winter (1st November to 31st March)
Daily 09:30-17:00 (last admission 16:00)
Why You Should Visit:
This is one of the few places associated with the Beatles' childhood that you can visit for free. Do it as part of the whole Beatles experience.
Tip:
Strawberry Field operates a minibus to take people from Albert Dock in the city center to Strawberry Field and back. The minibus leaves Royal Albert Dock at the following times: 10:00, 11:15, 13:15, 14:15, 15:15. The last bus returning to Royal Albert Dock leaves Strawberry Field at 17:00.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Liverpool. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from iTunes App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Strawberry Field on Map
Sight Name: Strawberry Field
Sight Location: Liverpool, England (See walking tours in Liverpool)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Liverpool, England (See walking tours in Liverpool)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Liverpool, England
Create Your Own Walk in Liverpool
Creating your own self-guided walk in Liverpool is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Liverpool Introduction Walking Tour
Famously, the hometown (aka the “capital”) of the Beatles, Liverpool is more than just the Fab Four. Closely associated with the arts, music, culture, and architecture, as well as industrial innovation, the city is renowned for its multitude of historic landmarks, world-class sport arenas and shopping/entertainment. The abundance of art galleries, national museums and listed attractions in... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
Beatles Tour in Liverpool, Part III
Now that you have been to a good number of spots in Liverpool associated with the Beatles, it is high time to explore the “early days” of the Fab Four in their hometown and see where it all started. On this self-guided walk you will visit the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and the place where they met and gave birth to the greatest band in the history of rock-n-roll!
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.3 Km or 3.3 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.3 Km or 3.3 Miles
Liverpool Historical Sites Walking Tour
Three of the most remarkable buildings of Liverpool-- Royal Liver Building, Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool-- are all situated in the Pier Head. They are called the Three Graces of Liverpool. This self guided walking tour leads you to discover some of the most important historic buildings in Liverpool.
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.3 Km or 0.8 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.3 Km or 0.8 Miles
Beatles Tour in Liverpool, Part II
Liverpool is permeated with The Beatles who seem to be everywhere! There are so many places associated with the Fab Four in the city: childhood homes, schools, bars. Some of them are rather unassuming places, at a glance, and thus can be easily overlooked. To prevent this from happening, take this self-guided walk to find the memorable spots in Liverpool no Beatles fan can afford to miss!
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles
Beatles Pub Crawl
You have lots of pubs in Liverpool, all different in character, with some claiming that the Beatles drank or played there at some point. The lads performed in many small venues in and around their hometown, but the venues they performed in were often not the places where they enjoyed their drinks. Take this self-guided walk to see some of the legendary pubs that John, Paul, George and Ringo either... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.8 Km or 1.1 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.8 Km or 1.1 Miles
Beatles Tour in Liverpool, Part I
The birthplace of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Star, Liverpool is called the “Beatles Capital” for an apparent reason. The city saw the dawn of their musical career and has plenty of Beatles-themed bars, restaurants, hotels and other associated places. This guide will take you to some of the most prominent of them.
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles