Strawberry Field

For years Beatles fans could only photograph the red gates of Strawberry Field and wonder what lay behind them. Today you can walk through. The site in Woolton, in the leafy south of the city, was a Salvation Army children’s home, and John Lennon, who grew up nearby at his Aunt Mimi’s house, used to climb into its grounds to play. He turned those memories into Strawberry Fields Forever, one of the most celebrated songs of the 1960s. The Salvation Army has since opened the site to visitors, with an exhibition that tells the story of John’s early life, the children’s home and the writing and recording of the song, and gardens where you can sit quietly among the trees. The visit also supports the charity’s work on site, including a training programme that helps young people with learning disabilities into work. Unlike the brief photo stop on a bus tour, a visit here gives you time to understand why the place mattered so much to John. This page links to the Tiqets entry ticket, which includes the exhibition, the gardens and a multimedia guide.

How to visit: Strawberry Field is at 16 Beaconsfield Road, Woolton, L25 6EJ, about five miles south-east of the city centre. A taxi takes around twenty minutes, or you can take a local bus towards Woolton and walk the last stretch. Many visitors combine it with a self-guided walk around Woolton village, where St Peter’s Church, the place John and Paul first met, is about fifteen minutes away on foot. The site is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Show the ticket on your phone at the entrance. The Tiqets ticket can be cancelled for a full refund or rescheduled up to twenty-four hours before your visit.

What to expect: allow about two hours, though the exhibition itself can be seen in an hour if you are short of time. The multimedia guide is available in English, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Mandarin Chinese. The site is wheelchair accessible, and there is a café where you can sit down after walking the gardens. The atmosphere is calm and reflective, quite different from the bustle of Mathew Street.

Making the most of it: listen to Strawberry Fields Forever on the way, then take your photograph at the red gates before you go in. In late spring and summer the gardens are at their best and the venue sometimes hosts music events, so check its programme. In November, go early in the day to make the most of the light.