Strawberry Field site on Beaconsfield Road in L25 was immortalised in 1967 by the Beatles hit “Strawberry Fields Forever”. The song was inspired by John Lennon’s experiences there as a boy. In 1934, the Salvation Army were gifted the land which included the Victorian mansion and it opened as a children’s home for forty girls in 1936, and 20years later started taking boys. John Lennon spent a large portion of his childhood neighbouring the orphanage living with his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George. He would often climb over the wall to play, explore, and escape in the gardens of Strawberry Field.
For almost 70 years Strawberry Field provided a safe refuge for some of Liverpool’s most vulnerable children. Lennon due to his own difficult upbringing, identified with the orphans who lived there as he felt abandoned by his own parents. The Victorian mansion was demolished in 1973 and the site finally closed as a children’s home in 2005. Today, the legacy of care and support for young people continues at the newly redeveloped site. Strawberry Field now hosts the “Steps to Work” programme which is a training hub for young people with learning difficulties and those with other barriers to employment.
The iconic site has opened its famous red gates to the public for the first time. It is now a flourishing tourist attraction with Beatles fans travelling from all around the globe. There is an interactive visitor exhibition exploring the history and the connections to John Lennon, a café, a prayer room, and a shop. The newly landscaped gardens at Strawberry Field are a wonderful spiritual oasis in the middle of suburban Woolton. Strolling along you come upon inspiring statements to sit and ponder on. They include lyrics from “Imagine” by John Lennon, biblical truths, prayers, and verses from scripture.
