The Beatles' Childhood Homes

The Beatles' Childhood Homes are two ordinary houses in south Liverpool where John Lennon and Paul McCartney grew up and where the band's earliest songs were written and rehearsed. Mendips in Woolton is the 1930s semi where John lived with his Aunt Mimi, kept as it was in the 1950s; 20 Forthlin Road in Allerton is the plainer terraced house where the McCartneys lived and where Lennon and McCartney composed 'I Saw Her Standing There'. Entry is by pre-booked National Trust minibus tour only, leaving from Speke Hall or Liverpool South Parkway station; anyone turning up at the houses unbooked is turned away. Reviewers single out the guides, who mix humour with detail on the families, Stu Sutcliffe and Pete Best. Tips from visitors: tours carry small groups and sell out in summer, so book well ahead; parking is free at Speke Hall but scarce at the station; both houses have steps and stairs.