Last week Liverpool celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' first appearance at the Cavern Club and during the Bank Holiday weekend, the city was full of tourists who had come for the annual Mathew Street Festival - two days of free music featuring dozens of bands (including lots of Beatles tribute bands) playing on outdoor stages throughout the city. Unfortunately, we chose the wrong day to go. We walked downtown yesterday only to find that the concerts had been cancelled for the day due to the risk of high winds and rain. It was so disappointing especially as the bad weather didn't really materialize. However, some of the music moved indoors, especially into the clubs on Mathew Street itself, the starting point for all things Beatles. As you are walking through the crowds, Beatles music is pouring through all the open windows.
So in celebration of Liverpool's famous sons, here's a little tour of some of the key sites, starting with the spot on Mathew Street where the original Cavern Club stood (another one has opened within spitting distance).
Not too far from where I live is Mendips, the childhood home of John Lennon which you can tour on selected days though I haven't been yet.
Here's "Strawberry Fields".
And here's Penny Lane. It's quite a nice street to walk down and you'll pass a gallery devoted to all things Beatles as well as a decent fish and chips shop.
There is also this rather extraordinary building, the Dovedale Towers which is now a pub after being empty for several years. Nothing to do with the Fab Four, but just another example of the interesting architecture that is everywhere in this city. And apparently Freddy Mercury used to stay here in the 1960s when it was a hotel.
No comments:
Post a Comment