LIVERPOOL, England — On a recent visit to The Beatles Story here on the Albert Dock, I perused a fascinating touring exhibit entitled: The Beatles! Backstage and Behind the Scenes. It showcased large, candid black-and-white photos from the CBS Photo Archive and shots by noted LIFE photographer Bill Eppridge documenting their first visit to the U.S. from Feb. 7-17, 1964. Of course it included their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show — on Sunday, Feb. 9 — when they were introduced by deadpan host Sullivan as "these youngsters from Liverpool." It was a moment in TV history watched by some 73 million Americans — and fondly recalled today by those of us "seasoned" baby boomers.

Immediately I was that 12-year-old again, sitting in front of the tiny, family black-and-white television, awestruck by the musical magic of the Fab Four as they sang "All My Loving," "Till There Was You," "She Loves You," "I Saw Her Standing There," and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" — their first No. 1 hit in America.

Some 50,000 had requested tickets (only 1456 were available) for that historic performance at CBS-TV Studio 50 in Manhattan. Elvis Presley sent a warm telegram.

"I've never seen anything like it in the 15 1/2 years our show has been on the air," noted Ed Sullivan at the time.

And we were never the same. Beatlemania was just the therapy that the country needed 10 weeks after suddenly losing young, beloved President John F. Kennedy.

This was my second visit to Liverpool — designated European Capital of Culture 2008. And a "must" for every Beatles fan — after daytripping around The Cavern Club, Penny Lane, and Strawberry Field — is to tour the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, now owned by The National Trust.

On a cool, overcast morning, my husband Carl and I hooked up in the city center with a dozen others, including a man from Russia and a young family from Japan, to see just where it all began. I felt as if we were off to summer camp as reserved names from a clipboard were checked —and as we then climbed into a bright yellow van, emblazoned with John and Paul's photos. We were told the rules: Buckle-up, no gum-chewing, and no cameras or cell phones allowed inside the houses.

"We don't want to hear, 'Guess where I am? Paul McCartney's bedroom!' " cheerily noted our guide.

About 25 minutes later we stopped at 251 Menlove Ave. — "Mendips" — in Woolton, where John had lived with his Aunt Mimi from 1945-1963, from ages 5-23.

"The National Trust and Yoko Ono welcome you," greeted guide Colin Hall, who resides here.

The two-story, three-bedroom, one-bath duplex, built in 1933 — a very neat, middle-class home (described by Paul as "posh" when he first visited) —looks much the same as when John lived here, with 1950s decor.

"It was a great place for a young boy to grow up," pointed out Hall. This was where John loved to play in the backyard tree house — calling out to his childhood friend, neighbor Ivan Vaughan, who lived in back. He is credited with introducing John to Paul "to see what would happen."

We began the tour on the side yard, entering the tiny kitchen where Mimi used to cook John his favorite meal, eggs and chips. Next to the kitchen is the sunny, small family room where John spent a lot of time drawing, listening to the radio (he was a fan of "The Goon Show") — and where Mimi loved to sew on her Singer sewing machine. Across the tiny hall is the back dining room, where John and his first wife, Cynthia, lived during their first year of marriage.

Today, visitors can peruse family photo albums, John's Sunday School record of attendance when he was 6, and a framed program on the wall from the "St. Peter's Church Garden Fete — 3 p.m., July 6, 1957" —where John and his Quarrymen first met Paul. There's also a guestbook to sign — and comments are regularly faxed to Yoko Ono, who reads them.

The more formal, small front living room, with built-in bookshelves lining both sides of the fireplace — was where John would sit and write poetry and song lyrics, telling Mimi, "You should keep these because I'm going to be famous one day and they'll be worth something!" This is also where he and Paul sat down to play guitars together, and where they would rehearse on Sunday afternoons with friends, including one with a six-piece drum set, until Mimi banished them for peace and quiet.

"The guitar's all right, John, but you'll never make a living with it," she once told him. Later she cheerfully answered the huge piles of his fan mail at the window desk.

"Come here!" guide Hall motioned me out the front door. "Sing something!"

When I protested that I couldn't carry a tune, he then pointed out the small, enclosed, windowed front porch, where John and Paul rehearsed, finding the acoustics perfect for harmonizing.

After climbing the wooden staircase in the entry hall, I toured John's tiny, narrow front bedroom, which had a twin bed pushed to one side, and small dresser. It was here where he would spend hours on the bed reading, with his feet up on the wall, drawing, dreaming, gazing out the bay window to the street, and writing songs — including "Please, Please Me."

Yoko Ono, who purchased Mendips in 2002 and donated it to the National Trust, which opened it to the public the following year, wrote in the guidebook: "Everything that happened afterwards germinated from John's dreaming in his little bedroom."

Next we rode to nearby 20 Forthlin Rd., Allerton, a two-story brick, three-bedroom, one-bath, mid-terrace house formerly in a working-class neighborhood, where Paul had moved with his family in 1955, when he was 13 and his brother Mike, 12. His mother Mary died of breast cancer the next year, and the house was sold in 1964, when Paul bought his widower father Jim a larger one.

A custom-made sign inside above the front door says, "In loving memory of Mum and Dad, Mary and Jim." It was put there by Paul and Mike McCartney several years ago.

"This was the only house in the council estate with a telephone," explained our guide John Halliday, a Paul look-alike, who has lived in the home since 1998, the year it opened to the public. That was because Paul's mother was a midwife, with patients who needed to contact her.

"Mike McCartney has been absolutely crucial to help us restore the house," added Halliday, "with family stories that you don't get from books." Various family photos — some taken by Mike, a professional photographer today — are displayed in the house, documenting their life here.

A recording by Paul greets visitors in the small, front living room: "Many of my favorite years were spent in this house — many lovely years — some sad, yes, but most of my memories are very happy ... Enjoy your trip around!"

The living room, with fireplace, is furnished with cozy 1950s decor — a small television, armchair, sofa, and upright piano — and is similar to how it looked when the McCartneys lived here. It was in this front room where John and Paul wrote many songs, including "Love Me Do" and "I Saw Her Standing There."

"They would miss school and come here to rehearse," added Halliday, lamenting that twice over the past five years "Paul came to the front door and knocked, but I was out!"

On the dining room wall, near the small back kitchen, there's a framed copy of the 1955 tenant lease, signed by Paul's parents.

Upstairs are the bedrooms — and a tiny one in front was Paul's, furnished with a twin bed against one wall.

As Paul sums up in the guidebook, "My mum and dad would have found it very hard to believe that the house is now a National Trust Property. You expect the National Trust to own places like Blenheim Palace, not a little terrace house like this. But they would be chuffed about it, and so am I."

IF YOU GO

Mendips and 20 Forthlin Rd.

Touring the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney:

Available March-November; Wednesdays to Sundays; check the website for details. Must be reserved in advance. Adults about $30; children $6; an interesting guidebook is available for about $5.

For more information see: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-the_beatles.htm

The Beatles Story

"The World's Only Beatles-themed visitor attraction." Open seven days a week, year-round, except Dec. 25 and 26. "The Many Faces of John Lennon" exhibition — with historic photos, clothing, and other items— is scheduled to run until March 9, 2009. For more information, see www.beatlesstory.com

The Beatles! Backstage and Behind the Scenes touring exhibit "spent one year at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and was viewed by more than 3 million visitors," said Victoria Ann Rehberg, president of ArtVision Exhibitions, which circulates the exhibition. For information on future venues and to order the exhibit's book, please see www.artvisionexhibitions.com

For information on The Cavern Club, Beatles Magical Mystery Tour, The Hard Days Night Hotel, and the International Beatle Week Festival, Aug. 26-Sept. 1, 2009, see www.cavernclub.org

Sharon Whitley Larsen is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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