When thieves stole the gates from John Lennon’s ‘Strawberry Fields’
Tucked away on Beaconsfield Road stands perhaps the most famous house in the history of British pop music: Liverpool’s Strawberry Fields. Immortalised by The Beatles in their Magical Mystery Tour masterpiece ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, this gothic revival mansion and former children’s home sits behind an iconic pair of bright red gates – gates that were once plucked from where they stood and hauled into a van by a gang of thieves looking for fast-cash.
Dating from 1870, at which time it was owned by a wealthy businessman called George Warren, Strawberry Fields traded hands a couple of times before being sold to the estate of the Salvation Army in 1934. Two years later, it opened as an orphanage, welcoming both boys and girls by the 1950s. Located a short walk from Lennon’s home on Menlove Avenue, memories of going to the summer garden party at Strawberry Fields with his aunt Mimi came to define John Lennon’s rose-tinted image of his Liverpool childhood.
For most of the year, Strawberry Fields was only accessible to the children staying at the orphanage, but Lennon would often scale the walls to play with the other kids. The owners of the Salvation Army building complained, but it was only when they went to his aunt Mimi, who allegedly threatened to hang the young boy, that Lennon was persuaded to stop his antics. It’s believed the lyric “Nothing to get hung about” in ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ is an indirect reference to this threat, though there’s little evidence to back up the claim.
Strawberry Fields subsequently became a site of pilgrimage for Beatles buffs, many of whom decided to scrawl their names on the concrete gateposts. Then, in the spring of 2000, the bright red gates guarding the property were stolen by a pair of thieves in a white transit van. Interviewed by the BBC at the time, Bealtes expert and tour guide Phil Cappell said he was devastated when he heard the news. “I have been livid ever since I heard about it earlier today,” he began. “Strawberry Field is a major part of the tour and fans break down in tears when they arrive there. Now there is no focal point. I just hope those responsible realise what they have done and return the gates. I’d hate to think of them being melted down for scrap metal.”
Worth an estimated $5,000, the gates were later sold to a local antique dealer for a great deal of money. It was only when he heard that the Strawberry Fields gates had been stolen that he realised what he’d just purchased. He informed the police, and the gates were subsequently returned to Strawberry Fields, where they still stand today.
You can find out more about John Lennon’s Liverpool by reading our handy guide.
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