The McCartney family moved from Speke to 20 Forthlin Road, a post-war terraced council house, in 1955.
Devastatingly, within a year Mary McCartney died, leaving husband Jim to raise 14-year-old Paul and 12-year-old Mike alone. There is an incredible photograph in the kitchen of of the house. Jim in his suit, just home from work, over the sink washing their smalls by hand.
Mike sneaked round the door with his camera all set up and said “dad” then captured the startled look on Jim’s face as he turned. A magical moment captured forever.
READ MORE: Paul McCartney started Beatles in terraced home 'with no hope'
I had the absolute pleasure of chatting to the phenomenal photographer and all round fascinating man about creativity and his childhood, as part of National Trust’s The Forthlin Sesions to celebrate a year of Beatles anniversaries, including Sir Paul McCartney’s 80th birthday in June and the 60th anniversary of the Beatles debut single ‘Love Me Do’ in October.
The charity will be celebrating the creativity sparked from the rooms of 20 Forthlin Road, by supporting a new generation of talent and bringing a place rich in popular music history, to a wider audience.
Below are some fascinating stories told by an incredible man. A man who is himself a huge part of history and popular culture as we know it, today. Here's what Mike had to say about his memories of Forthlin Road, his own creative childhood and his hopes for future generations:
How old were you when you discovered a love for photography and set up a dark room in your bedroom?
“In 1956 I moved here with mum, dad and my brother (when) I was 12. So I’d say I was about 15 before I borrowed the family box camera upstairs to take pictures of these giant seagulls in the garden. But the seagulls came out just tiny dots. I had to go to Allerton Library and borrow books, to learn how to take photos.
Did your parents encourage you towards music, writing and photography - or was it something you were drawn to yourself?
“Mum never knew my or my brothers hobbies or loves, because she died when I was 12 and our kid was 14. So she never knew. That was the sad aspect as far as I'm concerned. When I got into photography I could take photos of my dad reading his paper.
"The kitchen sink one, that was trying out my flash. I had to try out my new flash, so I sneaked downstairs, sneaked into the kitchen opened it up, there's dad doing our undies in this bucket. In his suit, just home from work, because he always dressed correctly.
"So I got it all ready and said “Dad” and as he turned round I ‘click!’ You should have heard the expletives! You should have heard the language!”
What’s your favourite childhood memory of this house?
“I think it's upstairs at Christmas. I think it was a fort we had. We were poor and so we had to share things. We once in our previous house in Western Avenue, we were so poor we had to have one Rupert Bear Annual between the two of us. Signed inside, to Paul and Michael, from Father Christmas. ‘Cos they couldn’t afford two.
"So this fort was for both of us. I remember the brittleness of the wood. It had a drawbridge on it! I remember it because on the letter attached it said ‘Too Paul and Michael, from Father Christmas’ and so I said to dad, ‘this is great but the writing's all *shakes hand* like that…’
He said, ’Well it's obvious!’ I asked why? He said ‘well it's obviously very cold!’ (My dad had) obviously thought to himself, ‘how are they ever going to believe that this letter is off Father Christmas and not from me? I'll pretend his hand’s shaking because he’s cold.’ I thought that was genius! So that is a lovely fond memory.”
How important do you think creativity is in childhood today?
“Creativity is always important in whatever you do. Being creative and more importantly, being different! Being different is to me, the success of life. Have you heard of Isaac Asimov? He’s a Sci-Fi writer. People would ask him ‘How did you get so successful?’ and he said ‘I wasn’t. I entered this business to be a science fiction writer and when I gave my stories out, they rubbished me. Particularly the ones in charge and the critics. They rubbished me. They warned everyone against me and said this man is a charlatan, do not touch this man. This man knows nothing about science fictions whatsoever. He’s got no chance and he’ll never go anywhere.’
"Probably just like us! But he totally ignored them. He said, ‘If I’d have done what they did, I’d have been compared to them. So I had to be different. I had to create my own world, that they might not have understood but it doesn’t matter, I’m doing it my way. So either I’ll die and nothing will happen, or people will understand my angle, my look at life, my different aspect. Luckily they chose the latter. That's why I’m number one."
“But that's the secret. Don’t be the same as everyone else - you’ve got to be different. Otherwise you’re just the same as everyone else. It’s no good. So that's the outlook in life I have, same with my photography.
"You can’t just take the same photographs as everyone else, you’ve got to have an angle. Those two pictures behind you prove it. That’s Lennon and McCartney creating their world, creating their musical genius, there. And I could hear them through the walls and I’d be doing my photography.
"I could hear these guitar sounds and then he’d do something like “Yeah, yeah, yeahhhhh” just guitars. And I came in and took that picture. No-one else was in the room when that happened. We were all just creating our own worlds, our own art.”
Do you think technology is hindering creativity in children today, or enhancing the capabilities and potential?
“The only thing I can think about that, because I don’t know anything about technology, so I’m a bit lost on it, but you’ve got to have an open mind. Technology is where kids are and where life is now. So you’ve got to go with it.
"The only thing is, it would be nice if kids knew about photography like I knew about photography. Giant seagulls, coming out as just dots. Having to go the library to learn and the joy of that, which kids today have no idea about.
"Like pinhole photography. If they were to shard the joy and the love that I had creating something from nothing. I didn’t have a posh camera or the latest technology. So you got the camera you could afford. I sent a postcard home from Cologne saying “I’ve just bought this camera, a brand new camera. It only cost £3” and I drew a picture of it.
"Learning that I needed a developer and a fixer and you’ve got to wash it, all things like that. Getting the little trays and putting them in. My dark room was my bedroom. I just had to wait until it went dark.
“And I couldn’t have done bad, because 11 of my photographs have been bought by the National Portrait Gallery, 60 years later. They lasted. They’ve been on the Smithsonian in Washington DC, etc. So I must have done something right.
"So to get young people today to enjoy the process and get the same results that I did. I used to dry mine on a piece of string to the cupboard. I used to be a ladies hairdresser, so I used the ladies hair clips from the salon to hang them. I never had an enlarger, so I only ever saw my photographs on two and a quarter. Now you can buy them as prints two foot by two foot. If you turn that print upside down, you can see writing for ‘I Saw Her Standing There’."
National Trust is looking for new, unsigned artists to perform in a live music event at 20 Forthlin Road, the birthplace of the Beatles. Successful applicants will get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to write a song inspired by the Beatles' legacy, and perform it in the McCartneys' own front room.
To enter this competition download and fill out the application form from National Trust website and email it to beatles@nationaltrust.org.uk with the subject line 'The Forthlin Sessions Entry' by 30 April 2022. Successful applicants will be contacted no later than 17 May 2022.
