On 25th September 1962, The Beatles returned to my favourite venue; the Barnston Womens Institute on the Wirral. They first appeared at this tiny venue in March with Pete Best in their new suits, and now they were back this time with Ringo. Its a small hall attached to a farm, and you could only get between 80-100 people in there! Rock n roll!! #beatles #liddypool
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Author: David Bedford
David Bedford grew up in The Dingle, attended the primary school that Ringo Starr did, before moving to Penny Lane, where his three daughters attended Dovedale Primary School, where John Lennon and George Harrison had previously attended.
His first book, "Liddypool" was published in 2009, now in its third edition. His second book, "The Fab one hundred and Four" was published in 2013, and his third book, "Finding the Fourth Beatle" was published in 2018. He was also the Associate Producer and Beatles historian for the documentary feature film, "Looking for Lennon".
He is working on several other projects at the moment,
View all posts by David Bedford
Hey Dave…Just stopped by
I was there at Barnston Vilkage Hall on one of the occasions when the Beatles played.
HI Brian, thanks for letting me know. How interesting. I am working on a new book that is talking about these great venues. Would you like to have your memories in the book? What do you remember about the night you saw them? Do you remember which date? How many people were there? I have been inside a few times, and it is such a small hall, but wonderful too. Any other memories? Did you speak to them? Get autographs etc? Thank you so much. David
I was resposible for booking the Beatles at Barnston womens institute CHRIS WHARTON
Hi Chris, I would love to interview you about that if you were up for it?
Hey Chris ,
I remember you at the Heswall Jazz club driving around the Silver Beatles and if I remember correctly the Deesiders. Didn’t you have a green Morris Minor van. Great times. Great memories.
Hello, just found this on a whimsical trip down memory lane. My parents met at this gig! My dad was dating my mum’s friend at the time, but a couple of years later my mum and dad got together, and I was born in 1968 in Heswall. My mum remembers this because the price to get in went up massively because the ‘Silver Beatles’ were playing, yet no one had heard of them!
Hi Linda, that is such a lovely story. What a historic place and time to meet! Who knows what happened to those Silver Beatles? 😁
Thanks for sharing your story with me. Put a smile on my face.
David
Hi Linda, what a lovely story. I love hearing about the real stories surrounding these places, especially before the Beatles were famous. Fantastic! Thank you for sharing.
Hi David. I write from Chile. Your book “Liddypool” is wonderful. It’s the best that I’ve ever read about Beatles’ Liverpool. Well, I want to tell you about something related to this great book. In the first edition of 2009, it says that on one of the walls of Mendips there is a painting of a football match that John had painted in 1952 when he was in his last year at Dovedale School, and it shaw the players from Liverpool Football Club, dressed in red scoring a goal, and famously appared on the cover of Lennon’s 1974 album, Wallls and Bridges. But in this story there is an mistake, because in reality John was inspired by a photo where Chilean player Jorge Robledo scored Newcastle’s winning goal in the FA Cup final. The players in red were from Arsenal (opponents of Newastle), not Liverpool. A few years after that final, the scorer Jorge Robledo (born in Chile to a Chilean father and an English mother), returned to Chile and played for Colo Colo, the most popular football club in my country. I must also say that Robledo’s parents, here in Chile, were friends of my paternal grandfather. I think I am proud that my country (Chile) has some connection with John Lennon, through a drawing made by John in his childhood.
Hi Jaime, thank you so much for getting in touch and your kind comments.
You are right about the painting and I updated the later editions of the book when I realised my error. Great to have a link to Chile. How amazing.
Best regards from Liddypool
Hello David. I’m from Chile. Your books about Beatles’Liverpool are amazing. Inspired by “Liddipool” (edition 2009), I visited Barnston Women´s Institute outside in 2017. Luckily you put a picture of this venue inside on your website now. I think you are the best Beatle historian from the time this legendary group started in Liverpool, and I think you are the one and only to write a detailed book about the venues where the Fab Four played in Merseyside, including photos of the outside and specially inside of those venues that still exist, like that great photo you showed on your website about the inside of the Barnston Women’s Institute. Another example is the wonderful photo you put of the interior of Wallasey’s Grosvenor Ballroom in your remarkable book “The Fab and Hundred and Four” (edition 2013, page 257). Thanks David for your great books.
Thank you again my friend, I really appreciate your support. It means so much to me.