A Beatles tour of 47 locations in Liverpool and Wirral in photos and videoclips

+++ In May 2021 AVZINE was rebranded to AidanEyewitness +++
This video feature is a Beatles tour across Liverpool and Wirral, visiting 47 locations connected with the Beatles in their early years. We start at Liverpool Airport where there is a statue of John Lennon. Then we visit Penny Lane and Strawberry Field before continuing via the Welsh Streets, birthplace of Ringo Starr and Arnold Grove, where George Harrison was born to the city centre. We look at many plaques, blue and in other colours as well, some with photos of the Beatles on them. We see statues of the Beatles, on the Pier Head and on the Hard Day's Night hotel.
We cross the Mersey to see some of the locations associated with them there. The Tower Ballroom and New Brighton Pier are sadly gone. We learn also about the sad fate of the MV Royal Iris. The Beatles played on the Royal Iris, along with Gerry and the Pacemakers and Liverpool bands. We visit the Majestic Ballroom Birkenhead and Port Sunlight before returning across the Mersey to visit Mathew Street.
Special thanks to the people at the Victoria Hall, Higher Bebington for allowing me to use two photographs from their website www.victoriahallhrbebington.co.uk. Credit: Photo: Courtesy of the Trustees of Victoria Hall Community Trust Ltd.
We make a special trip to the Casbah Coffee Club before returning to tick off the Beatles Story, the Peace Monument and the homes of Paul and John. It's a journey within a city. The AVZINE channel is concerned with cities and journeys. I hope to upload a feature on the Beatles in Hamburg soon.

[@nandacunha8049]

I loved the video! One day I'll go to Liverpool and visit these places. Thank you! Greetings from Brazil!

[@AidanEyewitness]

I’m very glad you liked it! Hopefully you will visit Liverpool. It’s a fantastic city. I’d love to go to Brazil and I love Brazilian music!

[@armandobarbosa2914]

Cinematográfico os lugares, aliás, estive em Poole,Hoykadlale e também gostei muito do túnel

[@AidanEyewitness]

You wrote: "Cinematic places, in fact, I was in (Liver)pool, Hoylake and I also really liked the tunnel" Cinematographic, that's a great description for Liverpool, it is a place where many movies have been made. I really like the tunnel too!

[@petergerrard5849]

Thank you for the tour.

[@AidanEyewitness]

Thanks very much, it's a while since I made that video, glad to see people are still watching it

[@crumblefest]

Nice video. Would take a long time to visit even a few of them! Hope I make it before i get too old...!

[@AidanEyewitness]

You don’t have to visit all of them - and there are more locations I didn’t feature in my video. Quite a few are in the city centre. You could go on a walking tour. It’s now possible to stay in George Harrison’s old house in Speke.

[@themartinisong]

Really liked this video, thanks for creating it and sharing!

[@AidanEyewitness]

Thanks very much for your feedback. Very much appreciated!

[@stephenmurphy854]

Great

[@AidanEyewitness]

Many thanks for your comment :)

[@anthonyphilips7171]

A very interesting combination of photographs and video. If ever you amend it, I would suggest you add more sites on the Wirral. There are commemorative plaques in some places where they performed in West Kirby, Irby, Barnston and Neston, all located on the western side of the peninsula

[@AidanEyewitness]

Well that is a moot point! I had this discussion with a friend who helped me and he often said 'You can't have a video about the Beatles without including..." and he gave a list of about 20 locations, many on the Wirral. but I have to keep within a certain time frame, I had to draw the line somewhere and yes, I missed out some places that could have been included, but I may do a new feature - perhaps on the more obscure places! Thanks again for your feedback!

[@arickett68]

Yes, I agree - YMCA on Whetstone Lane, Birkenhead Tech (Glenda Jackson Theatre now) also

[@AidanEyewitness]

@@arickett68 Very interesting. I’ll look that up. Thanks!

[@anthonyphilips7171]

@@arickett68 Angela, sorry about this reply being late ... those two places you mention no longer exist. The Tech College is now a mini housing estate and the YMCA's original building was demolished and a new one built. Update on my suggestion list ... there is a place in Moreton where they once played

[@arickett68]

@@anthonyphilips7171 no problem. I knew about the Tech being knocked down, I’m usually over visiting every couple of years, but don’t think I knew about the YMCA being demolished.

Thank you for a very informative video. Greetings from Hollywood California.

[@AidanEyewitness]

Many thanks for your comment and great to know that my Beatles video is being watched in Hollywood California!

[@sharonrebibo6015]

Well done. Have revisited in your film many of the old haunts of my childhood and teenage years. Growing up, I was very much steeped in the Beatles stories and music. I actually lived in a little cul-de-sac ten minutes away from John's house and went to kindergarden at St Peter's Church. My mum recalls chatting with Mimi at the bus stop and seeing John in his black leather gear and she probably talked to him now and then as a friendly neighbour. I also have fleeting memories of seeing John when I was a baby and little girl. I also recall the excitement of hearing Love me Do on the juke box at my youth club when I was at primary school. Each time it played we would all get up to dance with renewed vigour and it was played again and again. We were so proud of The Beatles and of being from Liverpool. They were and are amazing and deserve every bit of the success that they have enjoyed. Even now, Liverpool resounds with the music of the Beatles, played by buskers, in pubs, clubs and coffee bars and of course there are many incredible tribute bands.

[@AidanEyewitness]

What a fantastic comment you have written! Many many thanks! That's amazing that you have a personal memory of John, however fleeting and your mum too. Though I didn't grow up in Liverpool, I remember the excitement and glamour of the era as a small child. At my friend's house, they had a Beatles toy guitar with the faces of the Fab Four on it, and other Beatles-related items. I'd love to see them now. The songs Penny Lane and Strawberry FIeld had an extraordinary effect on me as a child. I imagined Liverpool as a kind of Shangri-La, a mythical urban paradise that was not too far away. In my sixth form, we went on occasional religious retreats in Bollington at the weekend. On one of those weekends some girls from a school in Liverpool - I seem to remember it was on Queen's Drive - were in attendance. They were the coolest, prettiest girls with the coolest accent I'd ever heard. After meeting them, I went Liverpool mad and I think the effect hasn't quite worn off! I don't think that was the effect the brothers, our teachers, had in mind for the religious weekend! Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!

[@sharonrebibo6015]

@@AidanEyewitness Thank you for your wonderful reply to my comment. You should come and spend more time in Liverpool, getting involved with the local community. It was a great place to grow up in. Apart from the incredible music, there was a great scene with local poets reading their poetry in pubs and other venues. Look up the poetry of Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten, who formed the Liverpool Scene. Ordinary people could also get up and read their stuff - a type of open mic. and even as a young teenager I read some of my appalling work to a mixed audience. Amazing times. Hoping to get together one day in my Liverpool hometown.

[@AidanEyewitness]

@@sharonrebibo6015 I am regularly in Liverpool. I was there on Friday and Saturday evening. I know people there. A friend was talking about Adrien Henri and Brian Patten only last week. A meetup would be very nice!

[@sharonrebibo6015]

@@AidanEyewitness That would be great. Looking forward to sharing other memories and anecdotes about the Beatles and Merseyside.

[@juliofc56]

Really enjoyed it well done. Easy listening and informative.

[@AidanEyewitness]

Wow, thank you very much for the positive comments. I'm really glad. A lot of work went into it but it seems it was worth it. To be honest, I enjoyed making it as the early music of the Beatles means a lot to me and I love Liverpool.

[@paulseano5100]

Enjoyed the excursion tracing the steps of the Beatles developing into to the greatest songwriters the world will ever know. Thanks for the video.

[@AidanEyewitness]

Thanks very much. I’m really glad you enjoyed it. It’s one of my earlier videos. It’s fascinating to see the places they spent time in. The childhood homes of Paul and John are my favourite places. They are masterful songwriters, their music dominated my early childhood.

[@armandobarbosa2914]

Sinceramente, melhor vídeo 📷 dos Beatles que testemunhei na vida. Somente ficou de exibir a rua Solva número seis em Everton,cujo o bairro Paul viveu com sua família inicialmente e também a casa de Minha Best mãe de Pete Best, quando então, tocavam no porão cada casa denominada Casbah. Quando estive em Liverpool,gostei muito da Pizzaria Cuoco

[@AidanEyewitness]

You wrote "Honestly, the best Beatles video 📷 I've ever seen. All that was left to show was Solva Street number six in Everton, in which Paul lived with his family initially and also the house of Minha Best, Pete Best's mother, when then, each house called Casbah played in the basement. When I was in Liverpool, I really liked Pizzeria Cuoco" Many thanks - muito obrigado - for your great comment on my Beatles video. There are more locations but I had to 'draw the line' somewhere so I kept it to 47. Many thanks for telling me about Solva Street. Pizzeria Cuoco on Bold Street, I must try it. Best wishes!!! muitas felicidades (Thanks to Google Translate for the translations from Portuguese)

[@armandobarbosa2914]

​@@AidanEyewitnessNA minha opinião, a PIZZARIA CUOCO dispensa comentários, isto é, sem sombra de duvidas. A. bem da verdade, ,houve. muita curiosidade de conhecer os conjuntos da Merseysound como consta mencionado abaixo: 1 Beatles (lógico) 2 Gerry and The Pacemakers 3 Ian and The Zodiacs, sób o comando do saudoso Ian Edwards 4 Tommy Quinckly 5 Remo Four 6 Swinging Blues Jeans 7 Liverbirds ( as garotas eram sensacionais) 8 SEACHERS 9 Moyos 10 Cilla Black aliás, antes era Cilla White 11 The Flash and Your Boys Merseybeat 12. The Escorts 13 i Johnny Gentle 13 Thomas and Men Gold Billy J KRAMER Beth Mardsen irmã de Gerry Mardsen Gosto muito do conjunto de outrora anos 80 Echos and Bunnymen

[@armandobarbosa2914]

​@@AidanEyewitnessBold Street seria a rua dos jovens em grande número. Sinceramente, senti-me muito velho perto deles KKKKKKKKKKKKK. Quando pensar em conhecer o Brasil caso tenha conhecido. Indubitavelmente, não deixe de conhecer minha cidade Petrópolis ( confira no KZbin) considerada a cidade histórica do Brasil, inclusive,,durante a Família Imperial morou até a Independência do Brasil em 1822

[@armandobarbosa2914]

​@@AidanEyewitnessMelhor vídeo disparad em relação a todos exibidos

[@AidanEyewitness]

Please comment on my Beatles video and if you'd like to suggest any further locations, please do! I aim to reply either straight away or within 24 hours. I'm able to do this at the moment as my KZbin channel is fairly new.

[@armandobarbosa2914]

Desculpe por ter feito o registro que não tinha exibido Casbah, está no vídeo.Terrace Gambier foi prédio VDE Stu,, inclusive,John chegou va morar com Stu neste edifício 🏢

[@AidanEyewitness]

You wrote" Sorry for recording that I hadn't shown Casbah, it's in the video. Terrace Gambier was a VDE Stu building, in fact, John arrived to live with Stu in this building" Many thanks for your message I've learned some Portuguese!

[@armandobarbosa2914]

​@@AidanEyewitnessAprendeu um pouco de português!!! Você foi bem

[@ms.antithesis]

good vid lad. Although penny lane isn't rlly "countryside" as you describe it.

[@AidanEyewitness]

What I meant was that at the time when roads were being named after prominent people in Liverpool- like Roscoe Street, Bold Street or Tarleton Street, Penny Lane was far out in the countryside. Liverpool didn't expand that far south until the mid to late 19th century. Sorry if I phrased it badly. In any case, many thanks for your comment! :)

[@ms.antithesis]

@@AidanEyewitness oh, yea that makes sense, thanks

[@AidanEyewitness]

@@ms.antithesis Always glad to receive all feedback!

[@armandobarbosa2914]

Mona Best mãe de Pete Best , que namorou Neil Aspinal

[@AidanEyewitness]

You wrote: "Mona Best mother of Pete Best, who dated Neil Aspinall" Ah yes, more about that here: www.meetthebeatlesforreal.com/2016/06/strange-but-true-neil-aspinall-and-mona.html