12 Arnold Grove

A small terraced house in a quiet cul-de-sac in Wavertree, Liverpool, marks the early years of George Harrison. The Harrison family moved into 12 Arnold Grove in 1931, paying ten shillings a week in rent. Four children were born there, including George in 1943. The family stayed for nearly twenty years before moving to Speke in 1950. Harrison’s eldest brother Harry remembered the house as a close-knit home despite its size. The house had only two rooms upstairs and two downstairs, with a single coal fire for warmth. Winter mornings were bitter, and an outside toilet made things harder. A tiny kitchen held an iron stove, and the back garden was just as modest. Harrison described a narrow flowerbed, a dustbin fixed to the wall, and a small hen house for cockerels. He later reflected on the house’s spiritual significance during the war years. Today, the house stands as a quiet tribute to Harrison’s beginnings. A blue plaque was installed in May 2024, one of the first outside London. Visitors can see where he spent his early childhood. The small alley and modest garden remain much as they were. It is a simple place, yet it holds a lasting connection to his life.