THE BEATLES

Visit Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, even enter the childhood homes of John and Paul. Walk down Mathew Street where Beatlemania began in lunchtime sessions at The Cavern.
There are a wide range of organised tours around the city to see the origins of the Fab Four. If you haven't got much time, consider a visit to The Beatles Story at the Albert Dock which captures well the atmosphere of the era.
The most dedicated fans should take note of International Beatle Week held every year in August. If you just want a good day out, the biggest day in Liverpool's calendar is the final day of the Mathew Street Festival, also in August, although it is no longer solely a Beatles event. For more information, read on:

MATHEW STREET FESTIVAL
Europe's largest free city centre music festival, held over the August bank holiday weekend, but with the biggest day being the Monday (August 30, in 2004) when the fun starts around 12noon.
It began as a big Beatles celebration with tribute bands playing on stages in the city centre. But now it has broadened out to encompass tribute bands to Elvis, Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks and many, many more. There are gigs galore too in the city's pubs, bars and clubs. Generally, it is very well organised. Although at night alot of people begin falling over. www.mathewstreetfestival.com

PENNY LANE
The words of this song - with the barber, banker, fireman and the shelter in the middle of a roundabout - tell of ordinary people rushing around under blue suburban skies. But if you wander down here, you will see that the lyrics are far more true of Allerton Road, a suburban high street which forms a junction with Penny Lane. However a song called Allerton Road just doesn't have the same ring about it. Our picture here is taken from the top of Penny Lane, looking across Allerton Road. You can see the shelter in the middle of a roundabout - which for the last decade has been Sgt Pepper's Bistro. On the corner is a banker with a motor car. Well not really, but there is a branch of Lloyd's Bank, partly obscured by a strange red vehicle that could just be a fish-and-fingerpies machine, very strange, Penny Lane. See for yourself - and see our Allerton Road/Penny Lane page in the Pubs, Bars and Restaurants section. For users of www.multimap.com the postcode of Sgt Pepper's Bistro is L15 9EN.

STRAWBERRY FIELD

This must be the only place in the world where people turn up in droves to have their picture taken in front of a red gate. Nobody is allowed beyond the gate because it borders the garden of a Salvation Army residential home. Still, there is a certain aura here, even if only because of the overhanging trees, which block the sunlight...so photographs may turn out dark, even on a sunny day, without a good flash on the camera.

Take care too because the gate is situated on Beaconsfield Road which is narrow and busy. If you walk 100 yards to the bottom of the road then turn left and walk 300 yards, you come to Mendips, John's old house.

MENDIPS
John Lennon's childhood home, near Strawberry Field, is open for supervised visits. Mendips is the semi-detached house where John lived with his Aunt Mimi from 1945 to 1963. She only allowed him to play his guitar in the front porch where he composed and rehearsed songs. Mendips, at 251 Menlove Avenue, was bought by Yoko Ono and passed to the National Trust. It runs mini-bus trips that visit both Mendips and Paul McCartney's childhood home at Forthlin Drive. In 2004 the trips are available from March 27 to October 31, Wednesdays to Sundays. Advance booking recommended. Phone 0151 708 8574 or 0151 427 7231. www.spekehall.org.uk/mendips.htm

MATHEW STREET
Home of The Cavern, the cellar club where they were spotted by Brian Epstein. It took a long time for the city to realise that many Beatles fans might wish to visit this narrow street to see "where it all began". To make matters worse, permission was given for The Cavern to be closed to make way for a rail tunnel and a small car park. However, a steady stream of pilgrims from all over the world continued to make their way to Mathew Street. And some far-sighted locals set out to cater for the visitors. The area began to flourish and now it is a hive of activity with Beatles shops, a re-created Cavern and a wide range of bars and restaurants in the surrounding streets, making the Mathew Street area a focal point for the city's night life. This includes The Grapes, once the only pub in Mathew Street. The Beatles were regular customers for a spell. In recent years the pub has been extended - the older part is on the right. I'll have a pint of bitter. For information on the Mathew Street Festival, see separate listing further below.

BEATLES STORY
Clever use of music, memorabilia, photos and a warehouse cellar to create a spine-tingling walk-through experience that recreates the sights and sounds of the formative, chart-topping and most recent years of the Fab Four. Tour takes from one hour to 90 minutes, depending on how long you wish to linger. Exhibits range from Lennon's lenses to George's first guitar. Warning: White Room can make you weepy. Situated at the Albert Dock, which is a 10 to 15-minute walk from Mathew Street. Open every day, except Dec 25 and 26; April to October, 10am to 6pm; November to March, 10am to 5pm. Admission: adults, £7.95; concessions £5.45; children £4.95; family pass, £23. Free, huge car park in nearby Kings Dock. Phone 0151 709 1963. www.thebeatlesstory.co.uk

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
Two-hour bus trip that shows you The Beatles' birthplaces, schools and former homes, plus landmarks such as Penny Lane and Strawberry Field. Advanced booking is recommended, but not always necessary. Price: £10.95. For timetable and further details, phone tour operators, Cavern City Tours, 0871 222 1967. www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk/mmt

20 FORTHLIN ROAD
The family home of Paul McCartney through the early Beatles years. This council house in Speke is where The Beatles composed and rehearsed many of their earliest songs. Contains early Beatles memorabilia. House is now owned by the National Trust which runs mini-bus trips to see inside both 20 Forthlin Road and John Lennon's childhood home, Mendips. Tours depart at 10.30am and 11.20am from Albert Dock (0151 708 8574) and at 2.15pm and 3.55pm from Speke Hall (0151 427 7231). Advance booking recommended. National Trust members, £6; non-members, £12 for adults, but free for accompanied children. Price includes admission to garden and grounds of Speke Hall (see general sightseeing). www.spekehall.org.uk/beatles.htm

INTERNATIONAL BEATLE WEEK
Formerly known as The Beatles Convention, which has catered since 1981 for the most dedicated of Beatles fans from around the world with forums, tours, art exhibitions, flea markets and auctions. Its growing success led to the development of the Mathew Street Festival and the two now co-exist. Various tickets and packages are available for Beatle Week. For a brochure, contact the organisers, Cavern City Tours, The Cavern Club, 10 Mathew Street, Liverpool L2 6RE. Phone: 0151 236 8081. www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk/beatleweek

LIVERPOOL BEATLES TOURS
This company offers tours at a time that suits you, and will pick up from the train station, airport or hotel. Offers a wide choice, ranging from the 3-hour Helter Skelter to the 8-hour Day In The Life tour. Generally it takes small tour parties in a luxury Ford Galaxy. But alternative travel arrangements can be made, including your own transport. www.beatlestours.co.uk