Stay at home but go to Strawberry Field anyway

Strawberry Field famous red gate in the pre-Christmas period. The Beatles recorded the song, Strawberry Fields Forever, in 1967 and when they became popular again in the late 1990's it became one of the must-see Beatles’ sites in Liverpool.  

It relates to John Lennon childhood memories when he used to sneak into the Strawberry Field old parkland over the fence behind his childhood home, to play with the boys who resided in the old house.  

Strawberry Field's original Victorian house was a gift in the 1930s to the Salvation Army which owns it to this day.  For nearly 70 years it served as home for destitute and troubled children. 

The old house is no more.

The cost of renovating the old mansion would have been too expensive. It had been better to obliterate its existence, and built a modern pavilion with well-maintained pathways and flower-beds.

On these grounds, young John came to play regularly, much to his aunt, Mimi, annoyance, who had thought that it is inappropriate to mix with 'this kind of children'. However, it had been an escape for him in the post-War Liverpool, and he himself must have sympathised with those kids with a difficult family situation, as he found himself in. 

The new Salvation Army centre was opened in September 2019. It pays tribute to the famous song - there are strawberry's cultivations beds.

The charity still serves its main purpose - by providing care and support for young people with learning difficulties. We visited the site in late autumn 2020. The centre decided to close, during Covid restrictions, by the parkland was free to explore. 

As it is only a few hundred steps away, we went to see how the old Mendips, John's childhood house, is doing. 

Walking further down Menlove Avenue, as the weather was profoundly pleasant, we encountered a strange glass structure, nearby the high risers. 

What this thing is doing there, who knows. There is no information and the glass booth is closed.  

Later, we found out it had something to do with Woolton In Bloom competition a few years back. Artists and students of Gateacre found a new place for Woolton's Superlambanana, apparently inside there. 

Now, this empty glass box intrigues with its outplacement and purposelessness. Well, that's art, isn't it?