So having finally made the trek up north to Blackburn to see Rob’s childhood home, it was only natural to hop on over to Liverpool and see the childhood homes of a few other remarkable men.
The tour we took of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s homes was extraordinary. We weren’t allowed to take photos inside their homes, but it was just amazing to walk around these humble rooms and imagine how the very ordinary lives of these families were transformed so dramatically. Paul’s house didn’t even have a refrigerator. Walking around these rooms, we felt like these gigantic legends became very human to us. We saw the family room where the McCartney family sang together and where Paul and John wrote Love Me Do and I Saw Her Standing There. We were invited to test out the front entryway at John’s house and sing Blue Moon like he and Paul used to do because of the excellent acoustics. The tour guides were excellent, full of anecdotes about the families and circumstances of these 1950s households. If you’re ever in Liverpool, this is the tour to take!
We also went to the Beatles museum.
This is a re-creation of the Cavern Club, where the band first started getting traction.
Their first flight to the US in 1964.
Our little hipsters.
Of course, Liverpool is also noteworthy for being the base of the White Star Line, the company that built the Titanic. Ninety members of the Titanic crew came from Liverpool.
They have an excellent exhibit about it at the Merseyside Maritime Museum at Albert Dock.
The view from our hotel room.
Also the view from our hotel room.
The kids were fascinated, watching all the workers scurrying around. At 7:30am, men started climbing up the cranes for their day’s work at the controls. It took them ages to reach the top. They kept stopping to catch their breath. You can see them 3/4 of the way up on both of these.
Hard to believe we were in Liverpool for just one day, because we also managed to fit in a tour of Speke Hall, a Tudor mansion built in 1530.
It was absolutely gorgeous, and we heard all about their eavesdropping on visitors and the secret priest hole where the house priest would hide during the years that Catholicism was outlawed.
Original William Morris wallpaper. Gorgeous.
The gardens were bursting with rhododendrons. I wished we could’ve lingered longer. It was a beautiful day, packed with good things.
2 comments :
Soooo...London or Liverpool for Christmas?!? Which would you choose?
This outing was definitely a must for you all. Love the picture with Elliot and Sophie in their glasses.
Post a Comment