Coordinates: 53°22′49″N 2°53′2″W / 53.38028°N 2.88389°W / 53.38028; -2.88389

Strawberry Field, in Liverpool, England

Strawberry Field was a Salvation Army children's home in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool, England.

The earliest reference to 'Strawberry Field' dates from 1870. In 1912 it was transferred to a wealthy merchant whose widow sold the estate to the Salvation Army in 1934. It opened on 7 July 1936. The original house was later demolished and replaced with a smaller purpose-built home for children which opened in the early 1970s.^[1] This home provided three family units, each accommodating 12 children. It closed in early January 2005 and is now a church and prayer centre. The famous gates marking its entrance were removed and replaced with replicas in May 2011.^[2]

The name of the home became world famous in 1967 with the release of The Beatles single "Strawberry Fields Forever" written by John Lennon. Lennon grew up near the home - one of his childhood treats was the garden party that took place each summer on the grounds of Strawberry Field. Lennon's Aunt Mimi recalled: 'As soon as we could hear the Salvation Army Band starting, John would jump up and down shouting "Mimi, come on. We're going to be late."'^[3] He and his childhood friends Pete Shotton and Ivan Vaughan often played in the wooded area behind the building, which Lennon nicknamed in the plural "Strawberry Fields."^[4]

A more recent image of the gatepost, largely vandalised due to its popularity

Related Events[edit]

The Strawberry Field sign was adapted by the UK band Straw as their logo for 2 years (1998–99).^{[citation needed]}

In 2010, the American studio band Strawberry Walrus released an album titled "Strawberry Field." It contains 14 tracks written about John Lennon and the Strawberry Field home in Liverpool, England.

See also[edit]

• Strawberry Fields (memorial) in New York City's Central Park

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Media related to Strawberry Field at Wikimedia Commons

• Strawberry Field, Liverpool