Mendips, Menlove Avenue

Mendips stands in Woolton, a southern suburb of Liverpool. It is a 1930s semi-detached house where John Lennon lived from the age of five until he was twenty-two. The building was named after the Mendip Hills by Lennon’s aunt Mimi, who owned it with her husband George Smith. Lennon moved there in 1946 after his mother decided it would be better for him to live with them. His mother was killed nearby in 1958 when she was struck by a car. The house is important because several early Beatles songs were written there. Paul McCartney recalls that “I’ll Get You” was composed in the living room, and “Please Please Me” was also created there. After years of private ownership, Yoko Ono bought Mendips in 2002 and donated it to the National Trust to preserve it. The house was restored to look as it did in the 1950s and now opens to visitors. Inside, the rooms reflect the 1950s style when Lennon lived there. The National Trust has kept his bedroom and other spaces as they were during his childhood. Outside, the quiet street and surrounding area give a sense of the place where Lennon grew up. Each year on the anniversary of his death, a light is left on in his bedroom overnight. The house remains a place where fans and visitors can connect with Lennon’s early life.