Southport U3A

Local History visit to Strawberry Fields

Southport u3a local history group

The local history group paid a visit to Strawberry Fields and found out what an inspiring place it was to visit.

Strawberry Fields is a Salvation Army property and visitor attraction in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton. 

It operated as a children’s home between 1936 and 2005. The house and grounds had originally been built as a private residence in the Victorian era, before being acquired by the Salvation Army. 

The exhibition included stories from the former children’s home. 

 It was on these grounds that a young John Lennon, before Beatles fame, came to play, reflect and escape the post-War  of Woolton.  It went on to motivate him to write the song “Strawberry Fields Forever” some twenty years later. 

The Salvation Army ground shaped him and inspired his work within the Beatles as an adult. 

It was great to see the piano that John played for the recording of “Imagine” and the original handwritten Strawberry Field lyric notes that John wrote in Spain.

The iconic gates at the entrance  are in fact replicas , the original ones having been stolen. Fortunately they were retrieved and now reside in a shady corner of the garden.

The walk around the gardens with its inspiring quotes from John’s songs was great in showing the work the centre is doing.

The visit also highlighted  the excellent work the Salvation Army is doing for young people. 

The new hub offers training skills and valuable work placements, giving them confidence and ultimately a real future.

After touring the interactive experience a lovely lunch was enjoyed by everyone. 

All in all we cannot recommend Strawberry Fields enough. An excellent day out. 

For more information about the Local History Group please visit the Group Page.

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