Atkinson Accounts

War Memorial

Port Sunlight · 12 miles

Set within the model village of Port Sunlight on the Wirral, the war memorial occupies the most prominent position at the junction of The Causeway and The Diamond, the two broadest avenues in the settlement. Conceived by the village’s founder, William Lever, the monument was intended to commemorate the employees of Lever Brothers who fell in the First World War. Lever commissioned the sculptor Goscombe John as early as 1916; the finished work was unveiled on 3 December 1921 by Sergeant E. G. Eames, blinded at the Somme, and Private R. E. Cruickshank, a Victoria Cross recipient, both former Lever workers. The stone is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade I listed building and bears the names of staff who died in both World Wars. Constructed from granite, the monument centres on a runic cross set upon an octagonal plinth that supports eleven bronze figures, including three soldiers, a wounded man attended by a nurse, a seated woman with infants, a girl with her brother and a Boy Scout. The surrounding enclosure features a circular parapet broken by four stepped approaches, each flanked by distinct reliefs of children holding wreaths and additional reliefs depicting the Naval, Military, Anti-Aircraft and Red Cross services. Four seating areas and flower beds lie between the steps, while the overall height reaches approximately 11.6 metres and the diameter spans about 22.4 metres, providing a substantial focal point for reflection within the village’s public space.

Paul McCartney's Childhood Home

Mossley Hill · 12 miles

A National Trust property in Allerton, Liverpool, 20 Forthlin Road was the family home of Paul McCartney for several years before his fame with the Beatles. Built in 1949 and originally owned by the local authority, the McCartney family moved in 1955 while Paul attended secondary school. The house also accommodated his brother Mike, who later formed the comedy, poetry and music trio the Scaffold, of which he was a member. The National Trust now describes the property as “the birthplace of the Beatles”, noting that it is the venue where the group first composed and rehearsed their earliest songs. The property passed into National Trust ownership in 1995 and, together with John Lennon’s childhood home, received Grade II listing from Historic England in February 2012. Unlike Lennon’s Mendips, 20 Forthlin Road has not been awarded an English Heritage blue plaque, the criteria for which require the individual to have been deceased for at least twenty years or to have reached the centenary of birth. The house re-appeared in popular culture when it featured in a Carpool Karaoke segment of The Late Late Show with James Corden on 22 June 2018, during which McCartney visited the home for the first time since leaving in his late teens. The landmark lies within the Mossley Hill area of Liverpool, Merseyside. As a National Trust site, it is accessible to visitors, though specific admission details, opening hours and on-site facilities are provided by the Trust rather than the historical record.

Sudley House

Aigburth · 12 miles

A historic townhouse in the Aigburth district of Liverpool now serves as a museum and art gallery, presenting the original setting of the George Holt collection. Constructed in 1824 for corn merchant Nicholas Robinson, who later became Lord Mayor, the ashlar house passed to his daughters after his death in 1854 and was sold in the 1880s. Victorian shipping-line owner George Holt acquired the property in 1884, and extensive alterations moved the main entrance and added a west-side office wing. In 1944 Holt’s daughter, Emma Georgina Holt, bequeathed the house and its contents to the city; National Museums Liverpool currently administer the site. The interior displays a range of 19th-century paintings, including works by Thomas Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds, Edwin Landseer, John Everett Millais and J. M. W. Turner, alongside pieces by Richard Parkes Bonington, George Romney and Pre-Raphaelites. A 2007 refurbishment introduced three new attractions on the first floor: a “childhood rooms” exhibit illustrating Victorian children’s learning and play, a costume room with rotating historic clothing displays, and a gallery for temporary exhibitions. The ground-floor library now houses a Holt family display featuring a film, portraits and a model of the steamer Verdi. The museum is listed under the name Sudley House on OpenStreetMap, classified as a museum and located nearest to Aigburth. Opening times are published on the listing, and visitors can expect access to the galleries, the specialised rooms and the library exhibition as part of the museum experience.

John Lennon's Childhood Home

Gateacre · 12 miles

Visitors can step inside Mendips, the 1933-built semi-detached house where John Lennon lived from the age of five until he was 22. The property sits in the Woolton suburb of south Liverpool, close to the Gateacre area, and is listed at Grade II. It was originally owned by Lennon's aunt, Mimi Smith, and her husband George Smith, and became Lennon's home in July 1946 after he moved from nearby Wavertree. The house remained his residence until mid-1963, and it lies a short distance from the site where his mother, Julia, was killed in 1958. The National Trust now cares for the house, having received it as a donation from Yoko Ono in March 2002 and completing a restoration to its 1950s appearance by early 2003. An English Heritage blue plaque was installed on 7 December 2000, marking the years Lennon lived there. Both the house and Paul McCartney’s childhood home were added to the Grade II list in February 2012. The National Trust keeps the bedroom light on throughout the night on each anniversary of Lennon's death. As a National Trust landmark, Mendips is accessible to the public as part of the Trust’s heritage sites, with visitor information provided by the organisation.

Sick To Death

Chester · 1.2 miles

Museum depicting the story of medicine through the ages, with a focus on pandemics and plagues.

Tattenhall Park Playground

Tattenhall · 6.8 miles

Large new playground suitable for a large age range. Includes equipment such as a zipwire and net crawl along with traditional equipment including swings and a slide.