251 Menlove Avenue
Encyclopedia
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, singer and songwriter with the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, and is now preserved by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
.
Mendips is a 1930s semi-detached
Semi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
property in Woolton
Woolton
Woolton is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council Ward. It is located at the south of the city, bordered by Gateacre, Hunts Cross, Allerton and Halewood. At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 14,836.-History:...
, South Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The house belonged to Lennon's Aunt Mimi and her husband George Smith. The couple took John in at the age of five, after his mother, who was living with her boyfriend, was persuaded that it would be better for Mimi and George to take care of him. He remained at Mendips until mid-1963, when he was 22 years old.
Despite having purchased the childhood residence of Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, the National Trust showed no interest in acquiring the Menlove Avenue property, claiming that, unlike McCartney's home, no Beatles' songs had been composed at Mendips. It was eventually bought by Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
, Lennon's widow, who then donated it to the National Trust. After much restoration work to return it to a 1950s style, it was opened to the public on 27 March 2003.
Said Ono, "When John's house came up for sale I wanted to preserve it for the people of Liverpool and John Lennon and Beatles' fans all over the world." (Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, 14 February 2003).
In pop culture
- The house was featured on the sleeve cover for Oasis'Oasis (band)Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
single "Live ForeverLive Forever"Live Forever" is a song by English rock band Oasis. Written by Noel Gallagher, the song was released as the third single from their debut album Definitely Maybe on 8 August 1994, just prior to that album's release....
". - Menlove Ave.Menlove Ave.Menlove Ave. is a 1986 album by English rock musician John Lennon. It is the second posthumous release of Lennon's music, having been recorded during the sessions from his albums, Walls and Bridges and Rock 'n' Roll...
is a John Lennon album, posthumously released in 1986 under the supervision of Yoko Ono.
See also
- 9 Newcastle Road9 Newcastle RoadJohn Lennon spent his first five years at 9 Newcastle Road just a short distance from Penny Lane in Liverpool. This was the family home of his mother, Julia Stanley. John was later moved to 251 Menlove Avenue in Woolton, Liverpool.-See also:...
: John's first childhood home - 20 Forthlin Road20 Forthlin Road20 Forthlin Road is a National Trust property in south Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is the house in which Paul McCartney lived for several years before he rose to fame with The Beatles. It was also the home of his brother Mike.- History :...
: A childhood home of Beatle Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, another National Trust property. - 12 Arnold Grove12 Arnold Grove12 Arnold Grove, the birthplace of former Beatle George Harrison, is a house in Liverpool, England, situated in the Wavertree area. It is a small terraced house in a cul-de-sac, with a small alley to the rear. George's parents, Harold and Louise, moved to the house in 1930 following their marriage....
: Childhood home of Beatle George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
. - 10 Admiral Grove10 Admiral Grove10 Admiral Grove is a property in Dingle, Liverpool, England. It is the house in which Ringo Starr lived for several years before he rose to fame with The Beatles....
- Ringo StarrRingo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
's childhood home