Liverpool gets by with a little help from The Beatles
It was once a thriving maritime hub, including for the transatlantic slave trade, but after years of industrial decline, Liverpool's economy is getting a boost from its most famous sons.
"This is the most important house of the most important band of contemporary music," Magical Mystery Tour guide Dale Roberts tells tourists outside the terraced home where The Beatles' Paul McCartney grew up.
McCartney lived at 20 Forthlin Road before he became one of the "Fab Four" -- along with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr -- and a worldwide superstar.
The red-bricked property is now run by heritage body the National Trust, as is Lennon's former home at 251 Menlove Avenue. Both sites are regulars on tourist trails for fans of the band.
Like other towns and cities across the UK, Liverpool, a port city in northwest England, is facing a cost-of-living crisis.
Its economy is based on "football and The Beatles", says marketing manager Victoria McDermott, whose employer runs the tour and owns the Cavern Club where The Beatles cut their teeth in the early 1960s.
Source: Véronique DUPONT/yahoo.com
