English Heritage

The childhood homes of Paul McCartney and John Lennon in Liverpool, where the Beatles composed and rehearsed many of their early hits, have been listed at Grade II.

Can homeowners living in the area hope to see the value of their homes rise, and more generally, should aspiring homeowners buy near celebrity homes (if they can afford it)?

The two houses, which are both managed by the National Trust, were listed by the tourism and heritage minister, John Penrose, on the advice of English Heritage last week. This means that they cannot be knocked down or altered without special permission from the local authority.

The modest brick house at 20 Forthlin Road, home of Paul McCartney from the age of 13 to 22, is where up to 100 Beatles songs were composed. John Lennon lived with his aunt Mimi at the slightly grander Mendips, 251 Menlove Avenue in south Liverpool from the age of 5 to 22. The porch of the 1930s semi-detached property was enclosed by his aunt to ensure she was not disturbed by the music when the band rehearsed.

It was where Lennon started to play guitar and where he and McCartney, now 69, rehearsed with their first band, The Quarrymen. The Beatles’ first number one hit “Please Please Me” was written at these houses.

Lennon’s partner Yoko Ono said she was delighted. “Mendips always meant a great deal to John and it was where his childhood dreams came true for himself and for the world.”

Ringo Starr’s childhood home at 9 Madryn Street almost suffered a very different fate. Along with 400 other terraced homes it was supposed to be knocked down but housing minister Grant Shapps intervened in the last minute to save it from the bulldozers last April. The Beatles drummer’s home in London has been bulldozed, though.

How much would you need to shell out if you wanted to live near the Beatles childhood homes? According to property website Zoopla, the average property value on Menlove Avenue is £310,265 while the average house price on Forthlin Road is more affordable at £125,471. In Liverpool as a whole, the average price is £135,192.

So will the value of your home rise if you live near a celebrity?
Well that depends on the celebrity. Having the right celebrity on your street can benefit a neighbourhood and have a positive impact on home values but the wrong celebrity can have the opposite effect. Neighbours often complain about too much noise from parties that last through the night.

Nicholas Leeming of Zoopla.co.uk said: “An unpopular celebrity can not only make a street less appealing, but actually damage house prices. From our annual Best/Worse Celebrity Neighbours research, it is clear that the public know who they would like to live on their street and those that they feel would harm their street. No doubt there are a few sighs of relief now and again when celebs move and put their properties on the market.”

Two years ago Madonna received a warning from the local council after staff at her London home in Marylebone staged a noisy party (she was out of the country, apparently). And even McCartney got asked to turn down the music at his late-night wedding party in the affluent St John’s Wood neighbourhood in London last October.