Beatle's Childhood Home Demolition

If you ever visit Liverpool, you will see the city's status as the 'Home of The Beatles' at every turn. The city is proud that it fostered and raised the four mop-tops who went on to change popular music forever. Personally, I love The Beatles' music. When I was a student in Liverpool many years ago, I lived just a stone's throw away from Penny Lane, the road (and the area around it) that inspired the famous song. I later lived in Wavertree, another stone's throw away from Arnold Grove where George Harrison grew up.

Near the University Halls of Residence

It was not unusual for students to 'do the Beatles' during their time there. One would visit all the usual sites - The Cavern Club, of course, was top of the list, but there were a host of other sites such as Strawberry Fields that formed part of the unofficial tour. It may have been unofficial back then - on my return to Liverpool last year, such tours had become very much part of the commercial fabric of the city. It is now possible to hop on a 'Magical Mystery Tour' coach and visit the usual Bealtes-related sites. One of the favourite stops on the tour route is 'Mendips', the boyhood home of John Lennon, in the pleasant South Liverpool suburb of Woolton.

Mendips - complete with blue plaque - where the Beatles would practise

I have friends who live within spitting distance of Mendips and they are used to the groups of (often japanese) tourists that stop outside and snap away. Mendips is now owned and run by the National Trust (lord help us), sports a blue plaque and is now a listed building. So is Paul McCartney's childhood home in nearby Allerton. George Harrison's former home in Arnold Grove remains a private property and due to the rather tight streets in the area, is not always on the tourist route.

But the childhood home of Ringo Starr is currently causing quite a stir. He was born in Toxteth in a tiny terraced house that was originally built to house welsh dockers. The streets are known locally as the 'Welsh Streets' and have names reminiscent of the welsh connection. Number 9 Madryn Street was where Ringo came into the world and where he lived for the first four years of his life. The Welsh Streets are now well past their sell-by date and the plan is that the area needs redeveloping.

Madryn Street - Ready for Demolition?

But the plans to tear these streets down has caused a storm of protests. I must confess that there is a part of me that has some sympathy with the protesters. However, I can also see why the plans have popular local support. Opinions are sharply divided. I recently took my Dad on a tour of the Beatles' sites and he wasn't exactly bowled over by Madryn Street. The houses are all derelict, boarded up and are basically beyond repair. But that is not stopping people from calling for their preservation. It does raise some interesting questions. In maintaining the heritage of a city, what qualifies for preservation and what does not? Is Ringo's former home important enough to warrant the effort? Is Ringo important enough? What is supposed to happen to the people who live in the area and want this eyesore removed? And what should happen to those who might benefit from the new houses that are planned for the area?

The Cavern Club - Filled-in without a fuss

Well, it is a tough one. This dilemma has form. The famous Cavern Club itself was demolished (or rather filled-in) in 1973 (though since re-constructed). No great effort was made to save it at the time and it is easy to argue that it played a much greater role in the Beatles' story than Ringo's childhood home.

However, I don't think that I can get away with sitting on the fence with this issue. I recently lived in South Liverpool and I know these landmarks well. I also know the people who live in these areas too. Whilst the other former homes of the Beatles are viable, 9 Madryn Street simply isn't. The area is a slum. People have to live next to this slum and there are others who need somewhere to live. To keep these awful, tiny, back street houses in place - to attempt to redevelop them - would be an expensive and practically fruitless folly. In an ideal world, it would be just dandy. But this part of Liverpool is far from ideal.

Liverpool City Council have finally approved the demolition of the Welsh Streets, including 9 Madryn Street. Local residents are delighted. Those from the campaign to save the streets are distraught. As one spokesman put it... "It is an important part of the heritage trail."

Well, the truth is - it isn't. Very little heritage value will be lost if these streets go. If there wasn't such a human cost in this issue, then maybe I might feel differently. But there is. On this occasion, people must come first. And I must confess to having a slightly different argument for going ahead with the demolition. My rather left-field justification is this. I may have loved the Beatles, but, well...

Let's face it - Ringo was just plain jammy to be in the Beatles in the first place. He joined the band just as they were becoming famous and he hardly contributed to the band's success in the way the other three did. I mean, John, Paul & George were immense musical talents. Take any one of them out and history would have been different. But with Ringo? I think John Lennon summed it up very nicely. When asked by a reporter if Ringo was the best drummer in the world, Lennon retorted - without hesitation - "he's not even the best drummer in the Beatles." Sorry about that, Ringo. But I think he was probably right.

"Right lads - send in the bulldozers!"