Beatles Brick Fragment - Strawberry Field Brick
This is an authentic brick fragment salvaged from the original Strawberry Field manor house in Liverpool, England. This is a great collectible piece for any Beatles fan!
Beatles Brick Fragment - Strawberry Field Brick
"The only true songs I ever wrote were 'Help!' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever.' They were the ones I wrote from experience." ~John Lennon, Rolling Stone Magazine Interview (1970)
Strawberry Field is a victorian-age manor house in Liverpool, England. As the name suggests, it is also the inspiration for the 1967 Beatles single Strawberry Fields Forever. This specimen is a fragment of that original manor house brick. The brick was sold at auction to fund the restoration of the manor house.
Each brick fragment is hand-cut by our technicians and is protected by an acrylic specimen jar. The jar is enclosed inside a classic, glass-topped riker display case that measures 4"x3"x 1". A small information card is enclosed that also serves as the certificate of authenticity.
Please Note: This original material dates from the 1870s as such there will be wide variations in color, shape, and texture. Pictures on this page are representative of the material but every fragment will be absolutely unique.
An Authenticated Piece of Music History
Strawberry Field Children's Home Brick
As a young boy, John Lennon scaled the walls of the Salvation Army children's home, Strawberry Field to play with other boys his age. Growing up in Liverpool, Lennon had a turbulent childhood, raised by his aunt Mimi after being given up by his mother Julia. His aunt recalled young Lennon’s excitement at the summer garden parties, who would jump up and down when he heard the Salvation Army band begin to play and exclaim “Mimi, come on! We’re going to be late!”
In 1967, The Beatles released "Strawberry Fields Forver," a single written by Lennon in which he evoked his childhood memories of the house and gardens.
📸 Macro image of interior of the brick
The original house was torn down in 1973 and replaced due to structural issues, but a selection of bricks were reserved and placed at auction. Mini Museum's material comes from one of these 1973 bricks, which would have once been a part of the home that Lennon sang about.
Each specimen is hand-cut by our specimen technicians and comes displayed in a cushioned gem jar. The jar is enclosed inside a classic, glass-topped riker display case that measures 4"x3"x1". A small information card is also enclosed.
Please Note: Color will vary widely on this specimen between red, gray, and swirls of both colors. The unique texture and coloring is the result of uneven firing and rough materials used at the time. This makes each specimen completely unique.
The Strawberry Field Brick Specimen is an incredible Beatles collector's item. From the inspiration behind the "Strawberry Fields Forever" single, each fragment comes in a handsome display case and a photo card that contains information about the item. This is an extremely unique item from one of the greatest rock bands of all time and the perfect addition to any collection.
John Lennon's Childhood Escape
MORE ABOUT STRAWBERRY FIELDS
"And nothing to get hung about / Strawberry fields forever."
~ John Lennon, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
📸 Strawberry Field was a beautiful manor house built in the Gothic Revival architectual style.
The Beatles remain perhaps the most influential and certainly the most successful musical act of all time. Always boundary pushing, their compositions ranged from the accessible love ballads of their early recordings to kaleidoscopic experimental works later in their career. The 1967 single “Strawberry Fields Forever” is particularly evocative of this shift towards the psychedelic. The song makes use of a wide variety of instrumentation, from the Indian swarmandal to cutting edge synthesizer sound. The result is one of the most memorable tracks in the Beatles’ discography.
The song was written by John Lennon, who based it upon Strawberry Field, a children’s home in Liverpool whose garden he would play in as a child. The house was built during the Victorian era in the Gothic Revival style. The earliest record of the house comes from 1870 when it was owned by shipping merchant George Warren. It then passed to another merchant, Alexander C. Mitchell, whose widow would later sell the property to the Salvation Army in 1934. Two years later, it opened later as a home for children.
📸 The Beatles pictured on set for a promotional film clip produced for the release of "Strawberry Fields Forever."
It was this home’s garden that Lennon’s song referenced. As a boy, he would scale the walls to play with the other children living there. Growing up in Liverpool, Lennon had a turbulent childhood, raised by his aunt Mimi after being given up by his mother Julia. His intrusions into Strawberry Field served as an escape for the young Lennon from the stresses of childhood, delighting in his encounters with the other children who were living in the home. His aunt recalled young Lennon’s excitement at the summer garden parties, who would jump up and down when he heard the Salvation Army band begin to play and exclaim “Mimi, come on! We’re going to be late!”
📸 The Front Gates of the Manor have become an iconic spot for fans to visit, many of whom leave their mark as tribute to the band.
The house continued to operate as a children’s home until the 1970s, by which time its structural integrity was failing. It was demolished in 1973, replaced with a new building specifically built as a children’s home. In 2019, the Salvation Army opened up the grounds for public visitation.
Today, Strawberry Field remains a pilgrimage site for diehard Beatles fans, who travel from all over the world to see the grounds and leave their mark on the property’s famous red wrought iron gates that sport many pieces of Beatles graffiti. This fragment comes from a brick from the original manor that was sold in 2018 to support the revitalization of the property and its conversion to a public centre.
Looking for more Beatles memorabillia? Check out the story of the Cavern Club brick specimen here!
FRONT OF THE SPECIMEN CARD
BACK OF THE SPECIMEN CARD
Further Reading
Davies, Hunter. The Beatles. McGraw-Hill, 1978.
Kenny, Francis. “The Real Story of Strawberry Fields.” The Oldie, https://www.theoldie.co.uk/blog/the-real-story-of-strawberry-fields.
Daytrippin'. “Strawberry Field in Liverpool to Open Visitor Center for Beatles Fans.” Daytrippin' Beatles Magazine, 22 Jan. 2018, https://daytrippin.com/2018/01/22/strawberry-field-in-liverpool-to-open-visitor-center-for-beatles-fans.
“The Beatles' Strawberry Fields Opens Forever.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 12 Sept. 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/sep/13/the-beatles-john-lennon-strawberry-field-liverpool-opens-to-public.
📸 The Iconic Red Gates and Graffiti at Strawberry Field today
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