The earliest reference to the giant Gothic Revival mansion Strawberry Field on Beaconsfield Road dates from 1870, when it was owned by the wealthy shipping magnate George Hignett Warren, the managing director of the Warren Line of steamships. On an 1891 Ordnance Survey map, the building and its grounds appear as the plural Strawberry Fields, although this had changed by the 1905 survey. It was on this 7 acre site that he built a mansion that was in line with England's Victorian-era, complete with a wrought iron gate, gardens and flowers. It contained a fine entrance hall, 4 reception rooms, a billiard room, several principle bedrooms with dressing rooms plus 3 servants bedrooms, a sewing room, day and night nurseries, 4 bathrooms and w.c.'s, ample domestic accommodation and excellent cellarage. Outside there were gardener's cottages, coachman's cottages, stabling for 10 horses, 2 harness rooms and 2 coach houses plus flower and kitchen gardens, a tennis court and 2 greenhouses. Following George's death in 1912 his daughter Mary Swire put the mansion up for sale in 1914 and it was acquired by Alexander Cameron Mitchell, another wealthy merchant who at that time was living in Weston House, Halewood. He passed away in 1927 and his widow sold the estate to the Salvation Army in 1934 a few years before her death in 1940. On the 7th of July, 1936, the home was opened as a children's home by Lady Bates in the presence of General Evangeline Booth, daughter of Salvation Army founder William Booth. With a capacity for up to 40 girls, boys under the age of five were introduced in the 1950s and later, older boys also became resident.
It was immortalised in the song written by John Lennon about a mysterious place he could escape to which, throughout most of John's childhood, was an all-girls' orphanage. Paul McCartney has said, "...it was a secret garden. John's memory of it wasn't to do with the fact that it was a Salvation Army home; that was up at the house. There was a wall you could bunk over and it was a rather wild garden, it wasn't manicured at all, so it was easy to hide in." According to John Lennon's cousin, Stanley Parkes, who was seven years his senior, he says, "We would sneak over to the Salvation Army Home grounds through the back of 'Mendips' to play with the children of the Home, much to the annoyance of Mimi. She thought we should not mix with 'those kind of children'." Regardless of Mimi's views, John continued to play in the grounds of Strawberry Field, either with Stanley when he was home, or with his gang – Pete Shotton, Nigel Walley and Ivan Vaughan. They'd climb over the sandstone wall in Vale Road, sneaking through the bushes and keeping an eye out for the 'cocky watchman' - Mr Blaine the gardener who lived in the house behind woods. As he grew older John continued going to the annual Salvation Army fete held in the grounds, Mimi eventually being replaced by his mates. At one fete in 1955 or 1956 he managed to obtain a monk's cowl (with hood) and, wandering amongst the cake stalls, jumble sales and brass bands, he dispensed holy mutterings while respectful Wooltonians bowed to him, much to the delight of Nigel Walley who cherishes the memory to this day.
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| Francis Foster attended here 1962-72 |
This was not a borstal however, as these were not bad kids and, contrary to John Lennon's belief, they were not generally orphans – the children were there for the mistakes their parents had made (from what you'd call 'broken homes' back then) and the home gave them a refuge from turmoil and unhappiness for nearly 70 years. As a result the children were never locked in. The gates to the road were always open and everybody attended local schools and were free to come and go in the local area. 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 large Victorian mansion, the centre piece of the estate, was sadly demolished in the 1970s as by then, the building was increasingly unfit for purpose. By 1973, structural problems meant that it was more cost-effective to demolish the building and replace it with a purpose-built children's home. The driveway entrance to the building was moved further west along Beaconsfield Road so the gateposts bearing the name of Strawberry Field were no longer used. Throughout the 1970s and beyond, the disused entrance and its gates became a mecca for Beatles fans from around the world. As a result, the gates continued to be painted bright red; the painted nameplates were also maintained. The children's home closed in January 2005, and the building was used by the Salvation Army as a church and prayer centre. The famous gates marking its entrance were removed and replaced with replicas in May 2011 but are now sited within the site. The Salvation Army opened Strawberry Field free entry to the public for the first time in September 2019, allowing visitors to explore the grounds. Incorporated in the grounds is a training centre for young people with special educational needs and a new exhibition space dedicated to the story of the place, together with a cafe and shop.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2022/08/historic-liverpool-dwellings-glen.html
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