Liverpool street where Beatles legend George Harrison was born puts a chain up...to stop tourists getting in

Daily Mail​

4 days ago

They come from Here, There and Everywhere to see the childhood home of the Beatles legend George Harrison.
But residents in the terrace street where the late guitarist spent the first seven years of his life have become increasingly irate at being inundated with tourists and day trippers – and have now chained off the road in an attempt to stop the disruption.
Access to Arnold Grove was restricted earlier this month after residents complained that the number of Beatles fans descending on the street had surged since a blue heritage plaque was put up outside number 12, where Harrison lived, last year.
A chain now in place across the entrance to the street in Liverpool's Wavertree district carries a sign which says: 'Private Road - Residents Access Only'.
Arnold Grove is unadopted, meaning Liverpool City Council is not responsible for it.
Harrison, the Beatles' lead guitarist, was the youngest of four children and lived in the street until his family moved into a council house in the suburb of Speke.
The three-bedroom property is now and Air BnB marketed at Beatles fans.
As is the case with John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney's childhood homes in South Liverpool, Arnold Grove has become a hotspot for tourists - featuring on tours - and residents of the Wavertree street said this has only increased since the plaque was installed.
The BBC reported on Monday that a chain was put up as residents had complained about their privacy being invaded by tourists.
Chris Bennett, who lives on the street and is licensee of The Cock and Bottle pub on the nearby High Street, told the BBC: 'Since the blue plaque went up it's been ridiculous.. The volume of traffic is too much now and we don't get any peace.
'The first taxi could come at 9am and my wife will see another on the road when she gets home at 9pm.
'You get people looking through the window and if you leave your front door open they look through the door.'
The Magical Mystery tour run by the Cavern Club, the Liverpool venue synonymous with the Beatles, is one of the tours which frequently calls at the site.
But a resident called Onyema, who didn't wish to give his surname, said he had lived on Arnold Grove for around a year and did not see the visits of Beatles fans as a problem.
He told the Liverpool Echo: 'Tourists don't park here, they park the tour coaches on the main road and then they come here. They always come around but I don't have a problem with it.
'It's a good street to live on - it's a lovely place. I like the fact tourists come here.'
Harrison's widow, Olivia, unveils the plaque outside his childhood home in May 2024
The tour used to take people onto the street but this has stopped since the chain was put in place.
Holly Andrews, 36, from Pennsylvania, USA, was among the Beatles tourists to depart the bus in Wavertree on Friday.
She was sad not to have made it onto the street but understood concerns from the residents.
She said: 'I did this tour in 2008 and I was just looking at my photo from being in front of the house. But in the same token, these people have a right to their own privacy and their homes.
'It's great to be able to see it and imagine the guys walking down the street and doing their thing. But it's also being respectful to the home owners and striking that balance.'
Liverpool-based Beatles tour guide Jackie Spencer wrote on Facebook: 'Many people are contacting me asking my opinion on the chain across Arnold Grove. I've been biding my time and considering how to reply, but the truth is I am livid.
'Not at the residents of Arnold Grove. Not at all.
'They've put up with a lot over the years and in my 30 years as a guide they've always been lovely and welcoming to me because I have never overstepped the mark and treated everyone with the respect and gratitude they deserve.
(left to right) Ringo Starr, George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney in a Beatles publicity picture from 1963
'I am livid at the fake unlicensed guides, taxi drivers & lone tourists who have absolutely no respect for people's privacy.'
12 Arnold Grove was marked with a blue plaque to celebrate George's contribution to culture through film, music and his humanitarian work.
The musician's widow, Olivia Harrison unveiled the Historic England plaque in May 2024.
Somewhat prophetically, she said that while her husband would have been 'touched' by his childhood home being honoured, she felt he would be 'nervous' the current residents might get disrupted because of it.
A spokesman for the Magical Mystery tour told The Telegraph that it had received no previous complaints about increasing tourist numbers, and said it had a 'great relationship' with the street's residents.
Harrison died in November 2001 at the age of 58 following a battle with cancer.