Angry residents block Beatles fans from Harrison's home
Liverpool residents have chained off the street where the former Beatle George Harrison omce lived in an attempt to stop disruption from day-trippers.
Access to Arnold Grove, the address of Harrison’s childhood home, was blocked on Monday morning as residents complained that Beatles fans would regularly peer through windows and doors on the street.
Chris Bennett, who lives on the street, told BBC Radio Merseyside that “you get people looking through the window, and if you leave your front door open, they look through the door”.
He also complained that his family “don’t get any peace” because of the traffic caused by private tours.
The area is a regular destination for guided Beatles tours of Liverpool, with the Magical Mystery tour run by the Cavern Club – the venue that hosted the first Beatles concerts – frequently stopping at the site.
Mr Bennet said: “Lately, there has been a lot more tours coming – private tours, taxis and minibuses – and unfortunately it is getting very busy down here.”
A spokesman for the Magical Mystery tour told The Telegraph that it had received no previous complaints about an increase in tourism, and claimed to have a “great relationship” with residents.
The spokesman also said that customers were reminded to respect the privacy of those living on Arnold Grove.
A blue plaque commemorating Harrison’s birth in the house, one of the first installed outside London, was unveiled last year. The unveiling was described as a “source of family pride” by Olivia, Harrison’s widow. Mr Bennett, the licensee of a nearby pub, claimed that the traffic “has been ridiculous” since the plaque was installed.
He said: “The first taxi could come at 9am and my wife will see another on the road when she gets home at 9.15pm ... the minibuses and taxis will come in and block the entrance of the grove.”
Other residents said that they had no part in installing the chain, and that the increase in tourism and traffic had not caused them any bother. “It doesn’t make a difference to me. People can do what they like on the road,” one told BBC Radio Merseyside.
Source:telegraph.co.uk/Wilf Vall
