Photo: Havaska at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
20 Forthlin Road is a Grade II listed historic building in Merseyside, cared for by the National Trust. Read about its history and architecture, plus how to visit and what's nearby.
About 20 Forthlin Road
20 Forthlin Road is a modest terraced council house in Allerton, Liverpool, where Paul McCartney lived with his family from 1956 to 1964.
The National Trust calls it the birthplace of the Beatles, since much of the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership took shape in its front room.
Visits run as a guided minibus tour combined with John Lennon's childhood home, Mendips, and entry is by guided tour only.
The National Trust has owned the house since 1995.
Read more on WikipediaHistory of 20 Forthlin Road
The McCartney family moved into the council-owned house in 1956, and Paul lived there until 1964, when the Beatles' success took him away from Liverpool. His younger brother Mike McCartney also grew up there and later became a member of the Scaffold, a comedy, poetry and music trio. The National Trust acquired the property in 1995 and restored its interior to reflect the 1950s and early 1960s period of the McCartney family's residence.
Architecture of 20 Forthlin Road
The house is a plain two-storey brick terrace, typical of the council housing built around Liverpool in the interwar and post-war decades, with no architectural pretension beyond its ordinary domestic design.
Worth knowing
John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote many of the Beatles' earliest songs in the front room here, including tracks later recorded for their first albums. Mike McCartney's band, the Scaffold, had its origins connected to the house.
Facilities
Plan your visit to 20 Forthlin Road
Nearest station: West Allerton Rail Station (0.4 miles)
Open March to October; guided minibus tour only, must book in advance.
Places to visit near 20 Forthlin Road
Mendips, Menlove Avenue
View Mendips, Menlove Avenue on heritage mapSpeke Hall
View Speke Hall on heritage map59 Rodney Street, Liverpool
View 59 Rodney Street, Liverpool on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of 20 Forthlin Road (L18) there are 3 historic properties, including 3 historic buildings.
Within 10 miles of 20 Forthlin Road (L18) there are 6 historic properties, including 3 historic buildings and 2 historic houses, across National Trust, Historic Houses and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Within 20 miles of 20 Forthlin Road (L18) there are 24 historic properties, including 9 historic buildings, 6 historic houses and 4 castles, across National Trust, Cadw and Historic Houses sites.
Facts
A plain council terrace where two teenagers wrote the songs that became the Beatles.
- Type
- historic building
- Location
- Merseyside, England
- Visit duration
- Allow 2-3 hours
Featured in Hidden Britain
Issue 24— September 2026Get Hidden Britain
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