While the celebrations for John’s 80th birthday aren’t quite what we planned, we will be marking John’s 80th birthday on Friday with a live streamed tour of the Church Hall (via facebook live), where John and Paul met on July 6, 1957, and the Lennon-McCartney partnership began.
Starting at about 12.30pm (UK time), we’ll take you round the Church Hall and show you the spot where it all began! We’ll also try to answer any questions you might have about that special day or about John’s many other connections with St Peter’s Church. You can email your questions in advance to beatlesstpeters@gmail.com — please use ‘John80’ in the subject line — or ask them live on the day!
We’ll also be making a special announcement about our exclusive merchandise and revealing our brand new design!
And hopefully next year we’ll be able to host the two-day celebration that we had planned for this year as we celebrate John@81! As 8 + 1 = 9, we think John would have liked that better anyway!!
Today is a sad day for many of us at St Peter’s Church as Graham Paisley, our beloved verger, is retiring. Through the years, Graham has welcomed thousands of Beatles and football fans to St Peter’s and given endlessly of his time as he took visitors on tours of the Church, Church Hall and graveyard, and shared stories of his dad, the legendary Liverpool manager, Bob Paisley.
There aren’t enough words to describe how much Graham has done through the years, or how much he means to us. We will miss him dreadfully!
The good news, though, is that Graham has hinted that he will still come along to talk to visitors for special events including International Beatle Week. So we very much hope that this is only goodbye … for now!
If you have memories of Graham, we’d love to hear them! Our hope is to build a page on our website dedicated to Graham in return for his dedication to the Church and to our visitors! You can email us on beatlestpeters@gmail.com or leave comments and photos on our facebook (St Peter’s Church Woolton: History and Heritage) or twitter (@beatlesstpeters ) page. If you want to post a message to Grham, we’ll make sure that everything is passed on to him.
Thank you, Graham, from the bottom of our hearts! And we hope to see you around the Church again soon!
The Hall looks very different for Beatle Week 2020 but we are absolutely delighted to be able to open our doors this year! We might not be welcoming as many people from around the world, as we usually do, but we know you are all with us in spirit.
And for anyone who can come to visit this year, here’s a look at some of the safety precautions that we’ve put in place.
The Hall will be open from 10.30 am to 2.30pm on Saturday and Sunday. Strict social distancing is in place and all visitors are respectfully requested to wear face-coverings while inside.
Safe, two-metre spaces are marked out in the HallA one-way system is in placePhoto opportunities of the robes worn by the Rose Queens and a piece of our stained glass windows!You can still stand on the spot where John met Paul!A safe shopping areaThe one-way system leading out of the exit doorBeatles masks on sale for anyone who needs one!
If you want to visit the Church Hall this weekend (open 10.30 to 2.30 on Saturday and Sunday) you will need to wear a face covering to go inside. And, of course, the perfect face covering is one that’s Beatle-themed!
Recently, one of the young men our congregation set up a business to try to cover the income from the summer job he lost because of lockdown. He learned to sew and has been making face coverings, including some made from Beatles material!
We are absolutely delighted to announce that Reuben will be at St Peter’s on Saturday and Sunday and will be selling his Beatles face coverings at the Church Hall.
So this is your chance to support a hard-working young man AND stand on the spot where the Beatles began! Beatle Week 2020 might be different but it can still be very special!
If you can’t make it to Liverpool this weekend, but would like a Beatles face covering, they are available online. Visit https://www.jonesmasks.co.uk/ to place your order.
This year’s Beatles Auction takes place online on Saturday August 29, and St Peter’s Church has three items in it. One of them is even featured in the main advertising banner, which is a great honour!
Further information on our items, as well as all the other lots and information on how to bid is available on the official auction website: http://www.beatlesauction.co.uk/
The old Church collection box, featured on the banner is Lot 50 in the auction.
It was hand-made by a member of the Congregation during the 1920s, and the maker’s initials and the year ‘1929’ are carved into the base.
The collection box has stood by the main door to the Church since that time and, as far as everyone can remember, has always been there. Although we can’t imagine John ever putting any money into it, we’re sure that Mimi would have used it, and we’re certain it was in use during the 1950s.
Also in the auction are four panes of glass taken from the stained glass windows in the Church Hall.
These were part of the stained glass windows in the Church Hall, which we believe were originally installed when the Hall was built in the middle of the 19th century. The windows are clearly visible in photos dating from the 1940s onwards and, when Paul ‘auditioned’ to join the Quarrymen in 1957, he did so in the light shining through these windows.
Reflecting their importance in Beatles history, Beatle guide, and friend of St Peter’s, Jackie Spencer used to call our stained glass windows the “Sgt Pepper windows” because the colours of the glass are reminiscent of the suits worn by John, Paul, George and Ringo on the cover of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
A few years ago we noticed that the lead which surrounded each pane of glass was bending and buckling. The danger that this posed was even more apparent in 2018 when one of the panels fell out of the window. Fortunately, this was saved and is now part of the exhibition in Roag Best’s Beatles History Museum in Mathew Street, but it did prompt further investigations into the state of the windows. In 2020, it was sadly confirmed that the windows posed a grave threat to health and safety and that they could not be repaired. With regret, we were forced to make the decision to remove the original stained glass windows and replace them with plain glass.
However, we fully recognise the importance of the original stained glass in the history and heritage of St Peter’s and every pane of glass was saved. These will eventually be made available for sale, with each piece of glass housed in a special presentation box complete with a display stand. Unfortunately, the impact of Covid-19 means that we are unable to move forward with these plans for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, these four panes of stained glass are being offered in the auction.
The final item is a floor block, which was part of the original floor of the Church Hall. In 2001, a fire in one of the side rooms in the hall resulted in the replacement of small areas of the original floor. All the floor blocks which had suffered varying degrees of fire damage were saved, including this one which was taken from the side room.
The side room was used by the youth club, of which John was a member, and would also have been used by the Quarrymen, including Paul, during the youth club dances. It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by the current Rector of St Peter’s, the Revd Kip Crooks.
This particular floor block has been partially restored to its 1957 glory by Colin Hanton, drummer with the Quarrymen. It has not been varnished, or changed in any other way.
Following several queries and some detailed planning, we are absolutely delighted to announce that St Peter’s Church Hall will be open to visitors as part of Beatle Week 2020!
Due to Covid-19, things will be different this year but visitors will still be able to take photos inside the hall and stand on the spot where John met Paul! There will be access to all the display boards and our exclusive merchandise will be available to purchase!
The Hall will be open on Saturday August 29 and Sunday August 30 from 10.30am to 2.30pm. Entry is free!
Please note that, due to current government guidelines, the following measures will be in place:
All visitors inside the hall must wear a mask – no mask, no entry, no exceptions. While we are sympathetic to all those who are unable to wear a mask we must respectfully ask that you remain outside the Church Hall.
Social distancing must be observed. A one-way system will be in place inside the Hall and the floor will be marked to help you maintain a 2 metre distance from any other visitors.
The number of visitors allowed inside the Hall at any one time will be limited, and a safe queuing system will be in place outside. We promise that anyone in the queue by 2.30pm will have a chance to go inside the Hall.
All visitors must provide contact details before going inside the Church Hall in accordance with government requirements.
All visitors must comply with all instructions from the St Peter’s staff during your visit. This is to safeguard you as well as the staff on duty.
We apologise but the toilets will not be open or available to the public during your visit.
Finally, we would like to say thank you in advance to all our visitors for your patience and understanding as we work to make sure that your visit to the place where John met Paul, and the Beatles began, is as enjoyable and safe as possible!
Take care, stay safe, and we hope to see you next weekend!
St Peter’s Church and Church Hall will not be open to visitors at all this summer, but there are ways that you can bring a piece of St Peter’s to you! To try to help the Church’s financial situation, we have three items in this year’s Beatles’ Auction – being held online on Saturday August 29.
We’ve already told you about the collection box – truly a chance to own something unique (because it was hand-made and there is only one of them!).
But here’s a chance to own something just as beautiful!
These were part of the stained glass windows in the Church Hall, which we believe were originally installed when the Hall was built in the middle of the 19th century. The windows are clearly visible in photos dating from the 1940s onwards and, when Paul ‘auditioned’ to join the Quarrymen in 1957, he did so in the light shining through these windows.
Reflecting their importance in Beatles history, Beatle guide, and friend of St Peter’s, Jackie Spencer used to call our stained glass windows the “Sgt Pepper windows” because the colours of the glass are reminiscent of the suits worn by John, Paul, George and Ringo on the cover of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
A few years ago we noticed that the lead which surrounded each pane of glass was bending and buckling. The danger that this posed was even more apparent in 2018 when one of the panels fell out of the window.
Fortunately, this was saved and is now part of the exhibition in Roag Best’s Beatles History Museum in Mathew Street, but it did prompt further investigations into the state of the windows. In 2020, it was sadly confirmed that the windows posed a grave threat to health and safety and that they could not be repaired. With regret, we were forced to make the decision to remove the original stained glass windows and replace them with plain glass.
However, we fully recognise the importance of the original stained glass in the history and heritage of St Peter’s and every pane of glass was saved. These will eventually be made available for sale, with each piece of glass housed in a special presentation box complete with a display stand. Unfortunately, the impact of Covid-19 means that we are unable to move forward with these plans for the foreseeable future.
In the meantime, these four panes of stained glass, taken from the original Church Hall windows, are being offered for sale now (August, 2020). Proceeds from the sales of all our items will go towards the upkeep of the Church and Church Hall. All items come with paperwork confirming their provenance.
We have seen quite a few posts on social media from people planning to travel to Liverpool for the August Bank Holiday weekend and hold an unofficial non-Beatle Week.
Unfortunately, due to safety concerns, the Church and Church Hall will NOT be open to visitors at all this summer. At the time of writing, some areas of Liverpool are under local lockdown restrictions and our priority is safety above anything.
The Church and Church Hall will be open again when it is safe to do so. Until then we encourage you to put your safety, and the safety of everyone else, before anything!
Borrowed from Jackie Spencer (and originally posted in Australia)
In the words of the great Dame Vera Lynn, we will meet again! But only when it’s safe for everyone to do so.
… that John Lennon and Paul McCartney met at St Peter’s Church in Woolton! Usually, we would have opened up the Church Hall, where Paul ‘auditioned’ for John and was invited to join the Quarrymen but Covid-19 had other ideas this year.
We hope that you’ll still ‘need us’ when we’re celebratiing the 64th anniversary next year and we can once again welcome the world to St Peter’s!
Or how about this? A few minutes featuring the legendary Dave Peters, who witnessed the meeting between John and Paul in the Church Hall and spent hundreds of hours with Beatles fans sharing his memories of that special day: https://youtu.be/VbcSUSyxiNg
While we can’t welcome you to St Peter’s today, we can help you celebrate (safely!!) at home! As part of the celebrations for the 60th anniversary in 2017, students from the University of Chester put together a great guide for how to throw your own 1950s-themed party! You can check it out here!
Happy memories of welcoming visitors to the Church Hall!
Wherever you are today, we hope you are safe and happy, and enjoying the wonderful music of the Beatles! It all began 63 years ago in our Church Hall, and we can’t wait to be able to celebrate with you one day soon!
Today we celebrate the birth of a very special man! On June 18, 1942, Ivan Vaughan was born in Liverpool and lived a normal, uneventful life similar to many other boys at that time. Uneventful, that is, until, on July 6, 1957, he invited his schoolfriend, Paul, who shared exactly the same birthday as Ivan, to come along to St Peter’s Church fete in Woolton and meet John, another of Ivan’s childhood friends.
That day, with Ivan looking on, a young Paul McCartney ‘auditioned’ for John Lennon and, as a result of that performance in St Peter’s Church Hall, was invited to join John’s band, the Quarrymen.
Thanks, Ivan – for instigating the most important meeting in modern muscial history and giving us the Beatles! Here at St Peter’s we will always celebrate your life!
St Peter's Church, Woolton: History and Heritage 