Day 219 - The Beatles Experience

The "new" Cavern Club

We couldn't go to Liverpool without immersing ourselves in all things Beatles. We had taken a walk to find The Cavern Club, the small, cramped basement venue where the Beatles played in their early years. The original site of the club was lost in 1973 when the area was deemed to be needed for construction of a Merseyrail loop. In the end, the loop wasn't built, but the building had already been demolished. It's now the basement and car park of a more modern building above. However, the club has been recreated on the other side of the road using bricks from the original. Carved into the bricks are the names of acts who have played the Club. A club with the same name has live acts playing all day and night just a few doors down from the original site. The area around the club has been Disneyfied for the tourists, with shops, hotels and restaurants with names such as Rubber Soul, The Hard Days Night Hotel, and Lennon's Bar.

A few names of some of the acts that have played The Cavern Club.

The Beatles casually watching to
catch a ferry cross the Mersey.

Near the Mersey Ferry Terminal are larger-than-life statues of the Fab Four looking as if they are about to get on the ferry. It is a relatively recent addition, being unveiled in 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary of the last time The Beatles played in Liverpool.

Recreation of The Beatles kit in
The Cavern Club.

We spend a wonderful couple of hours in The Beatles Story museum. Located in a lower level of one of the buildings at Albert Dock, it is filled with memorabilia and details of the lives of The Beatles and those around them, with a particular focus on their early years. We were impressed with the amount there was to read and see. Will spare you the details, but if you are ever in Liverpool, it is certainly worth a visit.

These suits are recreations of the ones
used on the cover of Sargeant Pepper.
Note the OPP page; permission was needed
from the OPP to add the badge.

John Lennon stands forever
near The Cavern Club.