Last Updated on December 12, 2022
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
By Jason Rupp and Carla Marie Rupp
Imagine John, Paul, Ringo, and George, when they all lived in Liverpool, UK.
Their story is more alive now than it has been in decades, since this year marks the golden anniversary of the Beatles. It was 50 years ago when they formed one of the most inspiring Rock & Roll bands of all time and their hometown has a host of events planned to celebrate the occasion.
We relived the history, when we went on a Rock trip of a lifetime to Liverpool, the Holy Grail for Beatles fans.
After flying into Manchester, we made the easy one-hour train trip into Liverpool, where we decided to stay at the Holiday Inn Express Albert Dock, because it is next door to the Beatles Story museum. After a hearty English breakfast, which included a side of baked beans next to our eggs, we boarded one of the entertaining Duck Tours. It was a great way to get our bearings quickly and gave us some local insights into the landmark city.
The Beatles Story Liverpool, a museum like no other, turned out to be fascinating beyond our wildest imagination. It really showed off the best of the history of the Fab Four and its souvenir shop had everything you might want. In fact, it was hard for anyone to leave without buying something, even if it was just a Beatles’ tie dye t-shirt.
The colorful, psychedelic-like Magical Mystery Tour bus brought us to the actual childhood residences of the Beatles, where photo-ops were perfect and priceless for everyone on the bus. When the bus passed Penny Lane, we all began to sing the famous Beatle song with the tour guide leading us. Commentary was entertaining, full of fun details, with visits to even Strawberry Fields and other spots familiar in their songs. The tour ended at the Cavern Club, where the group became popular, for live music.
We learned, however, that it was at the Casbah, 3.5 miles out of the city center in a residential area, where it all really started for the Beatles, before Cavern Club. The Casbah Coffee Club is in the basement of a house, and walking into this club is like a 50-year time warp.
Although only recently opened to the public, the Casbah is now rated #1 out of 90-popular Liverpool attractions on TripAdvisor, and has become an important stop on some tours. This is where the Beatles played packed small gigs before they were well-known outside Liverpool.
“They live on forever, by the witness of their lives, the music,” said Debbie Scott, a Beatles fan we met at the Casbah, which is run by the Pete Best family. As the early original drummer of the band before Ringo, some say Best is the man who put the beat in Beatles.
On the day we went to the Casbah, we met Rory and Roag, Pete’s brothers, who pointed out drawings made by John Lennon of beetles (the insects) on the wall. We were enthralled when they took the time to tell us some stories about how popular the club was back in those days.
Liverpool’s Beatles stories are more available than ever now during their golden anniversary, with countless tours offered for fans. Anybody can make a Beatles pilgrimage to Liverpool, a trip that is fun for couples, families, seniors, in fact, anyone who wants to spread peace and love.
If You Go:
Liverpool Tourism
http://www.visitliverpool.com/
The England Tourist Board
www.enjoyengland.com
The Beatles Story Liverpool
www.beatlesstory.com
(This is the Beatles museum. There is a special 2012 Elvis exhibit this year)
The Cavern Club & Magical Mystery Tour
http://www.cavernclub.org/
Pete Best
http://www.petebest.com/
The Casbah
http://www.casbahcoffeeclub.com/
Here you can view drawings on the wall by John Lennon, hear Beatles stories by those who knew the band.
Liverpool Beatles Tours
www.beatlestours.co.uk
Fill out online form to choose a 2, 3, or 4-hour tour or even an all-day one. This is the most comprehensive tour we found, and hope to be on it next time we make it back to Liverpool.
Albert Dock
www.albertdock.com
An area in Liverpool full of great restaurants and bars, site of The Beatles Story museum, even the wonderful Merseyside Maritime Museum!
Merseyside Travel Information
www.merseytravel.gov./uk
(Loads of great transportation information for Liverpool)
The Yellow Duckmarine
www.theyellowduckmarine.co.uk
Holiday Inn Express Hotel Liverpool-Albert Dock
www.exliverpool.com
Hard Days Night Hotel Liverpool
and the Bar Four
41-44 North John Street
Liverpool, UK
Tel: 0151 236 1964
www.harddaysnighthotel.com
[email protected]
(a boutique hotel around the corner next to the Cavern Club in the Cavern Quarter, with Blake’s Restaurant next door. Blake’s, with wall-to-wall Beatles art work and British food, is named after Sergeant Pepper album and artist Sir Peter Blake. Includes McCartney and Lennon suites, Beatles pictures in the rooms and art gallery featuring Beatles-related art. A unique environment in a restored hotel steeped in history near all the Beatles memorabilia shops we visited.
Epstein House & Gardens,
The Guesthouse B&B
27 Anfield Rd.
Liverpool, Merseyside, UK
Tel: 07810 100900
A former home of the late Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles.
www.epsteinhouse.co.uk/
HI. WRITING FROM NEW YORK. I LOVED YOUR ARTICLE. I WAS IN LIVERPOOL AND THIS REMINDED ME TO SOOOO MANY BEAUTIFUL THINGS. GREAT, SIMPLE ARTICLE. LOVED IT. LOVE THE BEATLES AND HAD A CHANCE TO MEET SIR PAUL MC CARTNEY RIGHT HERE IN TRIBECA IN NYC-LOOKED LIKE A BOY W WRINKLES. I HAD TO PUT THEIR CD NR1 ON AND AM LISTENING TO IT. DUB, FROM NEW YORK!!!
This is on my “to-do” list! Thanks for running this article …
I my wife and friends Bill and Janet went to the Casbah Monday bank holiday Aug ’21. Sadly it wasn’t ready for the public at that time.
We had spoken to Roag, Pete Best’s brother and we told him the time we left and he replied he got there 2 minutes later.
I vividly remember the Beatles coming to New York in 1964 and Cousin Brucie of WABC doing a play-by-play of their arrival at Kennedy Airport (which was probably still called Idlewild). What I don’t remember, or didn’t know, about the group is background to their start in Liverpool. Jason and Carla Rupp went to the source — on a Liverpool press trip — and learned a lot, then decided to share it in this perceptive and entertaining article. Carla always takes more notes than any other journalist and her dedication shows in everything she writes. I love Beatles music but I also like knowing how they got their start. That’s why Jersey Boys (the Four Seasons) and Baby It’s You (the Shirelles) were my two favorite Broadway shows — it’s not just the sound but the inspiration that counts. And the Beatles had plenty of inspiration. With my birthday only weeks away, I’m glad the Beatles wrote a song about it: “When I’m 64.”
Happy birthday Dan!
We were amazed when locals told us very personal stories of how they remember the young Beatles in Liverpool. They are all proud and amazed at how big the successful the boys became.
Did you know they first went by the name Quarrymen ,and then The Silver Beetles?
Then John wanted Beat to be in the name, so the name became The Beatles.
Jason Rupp
Freelance Travel Writer
I like this story very much as I can remember some of the earliest music on the radio was The Beatles.Very interesting and well witten.