20 Forthlin Road

About the museum

20 Forthlin Road is a terraced council house in the Allerton area of Liverpool, a little under a mile from Mendips. Paul McCartney grew up here with his parents and his brother Mike, and his mother Mary, who had been proud of the house down to the wallpaper she pieced together from cheap roll-ends, died in October 1956. Paul's father Jim then raised Paul and his brother Mike, who later took well-known family photographs in the house.

After Paul joined John Lennon's group the Quarrymen in 1957 the two practised in the front parlour when Jim was out. The National Trust describes songs such as I Saw Her Standing There, Love Me Do and She Loves You as having come into being here. In 1964 Paul bought his father a house in Heswall and the family left Forthlin Road at midnight to avoid fans. The house was later bought from the council by another family, and in 1995 its owner offered it to the National Trust after the McCartney family declined to buy it back.

The house is shown with the modest furnishings of its time, including mismatched wallpaper and threadbare furniture. It can only be visited on a guided tour that also includes John Lennon's home at Mendips.

Highlights

• The parlour where Paul McCartney and John Lennon rehearsed and wrote songs
• Mike McCartney's family photographs of the house
• Post-war council housing preserved as a family home
• Combined tour with Mendips, John Lennon's childhood home

Permanent exhibition

• 20 Forthlin Road, Paul McCartney's childhood home – A post-war terraced council house where Paul McCartney grew up and where early Beatles songs took shape, visited on a guided tour.

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

One ticket covers the combined tour of both houses and the minibus transport. Prices shown are without Gift Aid and may be higher in the peak season in July and August. The non-member adult price is £37 and the child price £18.50. Tickets are non-refundable and must be booked in advance online or by phone.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Wheelchair users are welcome but must book by phone. The tour minibus is fully accessible. Mendips has two steps to the entrance and steps inside on the ground floor, and 20 Forthlin Road has steps to the entrance and only part of the ground floor is accessible because of narrow doors; the upper floors of both houses are reached by stairs only, and photographs of the upstairs rooms are shown to wheelchair users. Accessible toilets are at Speke Hall, Liverpool South Parkway station and 20 Forthlin Road, and designated parking spaces are at Speke Hall and Liverpool South Parkway. Braille and large print guides are available, and there is an induction loop. Only assistance dogs are allowed on the tour.

Kids & families

Child tickets are sold for ages 5 to 17, and under 5s are free but must be booked by phone.

Getting there & parking

Visitors must join the minibus tour and cannot arrive at the houses directly. Sat nav: Speke Hall L24 1XD, Liverpool South Parkway L19 5NE. Speke Hall is 1 mile off Speke Boulevard (A561), and there are roadworks around Liverpool South Parkway and Speke Hall that can slow journeys.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check

Bags and cameras are kept in a locked space at each house; there is no room for large bags and suitcases, and food and drink are not allowed in the houses. Speke Hall and Liverpool South Parkway have toilets.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit