In November, George Harrison’s childhood home in Liverpool, England, went up for auction for the first time in nearly a decade. Two weeks later, he landed a buyer across the pond – superfan Ken Lambert, who is now turning the iconic home into an Airbnb rental and home museum.
Lambert, 48, from New Hampshire, never imagined he would one day own a piece of Beatles history, until he made an offer of £171,000 (equivalent to £250 $000) and no one else makes a higher offer.
Today, Lambert, who is in commercial construction, is only the third owner to own the home since the Harrisons.
“Once I realized I was the winner, it was pretty shocking,” Lambert told the Post.
“I really started thinking about what I was going to do with the property. I am not a wealthy individual. It’s not like I’m buying properties. I’m a Beatles fan, yes, but I’m a big fan of George Harrison in particular. »
Located at 25 Upton Green in the suburb of Speke, the historic house was used as the band’s main practice location in the late 1950s, with the band known as The Quarrymen at the time. Harrison and his family originally moved into the house in 1949, when he was just 6 years old. They lived in the residence until 1962, when Harrison was 18, according to Omega Auctions, which handled the sale.
Lambert revealed that what prompted him to turn the house into an Airbnb and a house museum for weekly visits was the realization that the other band members – John Lennon and Paul McCartney – had house museums that were dedicated to them, but not Harrison.
“I think it was a shame that George’s house had no connection with millions of Beatles fans, but they’re lining up to get into John Lennon’s house,” Lambert said. “George is my favorite Beatle. I want to respect his legacy.
The house is ‘a living museum by allowing people to stay overnight,’ Lambert said, adding that a weekly tour group also stops and spends around half an hour at the house drinking tea and playing games. music.
While most of the three-bedroom, one-bathroom home has been remodeled over the years with an upgraded kitchen, some of the original Harrison-era pieces in the home remain – including the original hutch in the kitchen, the bathtub and the sink in the bathroom, the upright of the stairs and the doors of the cupboards.
Lambert has since visited the house twice, spending more than two months preparing the place, as it came unfurnished and gutted.
“It was pretty crazy when I was able to walk through the house. I was there all by myself. I kind of walked through it after owning it. It was a very surreal experience, it was a remarkable feeling .
One of the first things Lambert did was go to a guitar shop in Liverpool to buy an acoustic guitar for the house.
“I play a little and I played in the room where they were rehearsing. It was so important for me to do this. I left the guitar there as a work prop,” he said.
Lambert plans to return and take a trip to the historic home with his wife and two children in the summer. Currently it has a local property manager who looks after the land and oversees weekly rentals and viewings.
Perhaps the coolest part of his visit home was meeting former Quarrymen drummer Colin Hanton, who was one of the original members of the band before they became The Beatles.
“He’s 83 now and it was so crazy that I was able to argue with him and be put in that position,” Lambert said.
According to Airbnb Listingit rents for between $275 and $400 a night, depending on the date, plus a $150 cleaning fee.
“Walk and stay in George’s room, where he first heard the band on the radio!” There is a comfortable double bed and a large closet,” the listing reads.
“Sit and strum a guitar in the same room that George, Paul and John sat and rehearsed for the early years,” the listing adds. “Listen to old Beatles albums on our retro record player – in a Beatles house!”
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