'Strawberry Fields Forever': song inspiration opens to tourists
It's one of the most iconic Beatles songs. Now, it's poised to become a bucket list destination for fans everywhere.
For the first time, Strawberry Fields, the inspiration behind the song, is open to the public.
"It was on these grounds that a young John Lennon, before Beatles fame, came to play, reflect and escape the post-War streets of Woolton [a suburb of Liverpool, England]," according to the Strawberry Field website. "Those days spent playing in The Salvation Army grounds shaped Lennon and inspired his work within the Beatles as an adult. Strawberry Field was later immortalized in the famous song, 'Strawberry Fields Forever,' where he explored those more innocent days of escape that could counter the later complexities of a life lived in the public gaze."
According to the website, Strawberry Field and the original Victorian house were gifted to The Salvation Army in 1934. In 1936 it was opened as a children’s home for girls, later accepting boys.
"From then on, for nearly 70 years, it gave some of Liverpool’s most vulnerable children a refuge from turmoil and unhappiness – a safe, calm and spiritual home," the website states.
The tourist attraction opened on Sept. 14. It includes gardens, a visitor exhibition, café and shop. Adult admission is $16.
