Strawberry Field

For other uses, see Strawberry Fields.

Coordinates: 53°22′49″N 2°53′2″W / 53.38028°N 2.88389°W / 53.38028; -2.88389

Strawberry Field, in Liverpool, England

Strawberry Field was a Salvation Army children's home in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool, England.

The earliest reference to 'Strawberry Field' dates from 1870. In 1912 it was transferred to a wealthy merchant whose widow sold the estate to the Salvation Army in 1934. It opened on 7 July 1936. The original house was later demolished and replaced with a smaller purpose-built home for children which opened in the early 1970s.[1] This home provided three family units, each accommodating 12 children. It closed in early January 2005 and is now a church and prayer centre. The famous gates marking its entrance were removed and replaced with replicas in May 2011.[1]

The name of the home became world famous in 1967 with the release of The Beatles single "Strawberry Fields Forever" written by John Lennon. Lennon grew up near the home – one of his childhood treats was the garden party that took place each summer on the grounds of Strawberry Field. Lennon's Aunt Mimi recalled: 'As soon as we could hear the Salvation Army Band starting, John would jump up and down shouting "Mimi, come on. We're going to be late."'[2] He and his childhood friends Pete Shotton and Ivan Vaughan often played in the wooded area behind the building, which Lennon nicknamed in the plural "Strawberry Fields."

A more recent image of the gatepost, largely vandalised due to its popularity

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "UK England Merseyside".
  2. ↑ The Beatles, Hunter Davies, London, 1968, p 9

External links

Media related to Strawberry Field at Wikimedia Commons

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