50 Pubs Associated With The Beatles:...

No. 42: Childwall Fiveways Hotel. These days a Wetherspoons, the car park of this pub provided the venue for a famous portrait of Eppy plus "stable". The area is pretty much unchanged almost 50 years on:


The wall unhacked to bits by Japanese admirers, thus far:


I have it on good authority that these pics weren't taken in November '63, as is sometimes claimed, but rather on the morning of June 18th, ie Paul's birthday, and the day John took a shovel to Bob Wooler. Licensing laws back then restricted opening hours to 12 noon–2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m. It's possible that a pint or two had already been sunk when these pics were taken, and equally possible that so it continued. John was a notoriously bad drunk after more than a couple, and would lay into people verbally, and occasionally physically, as Bob could attest (though he never did). Still, it was all fun and games at this point:

50 Pubs Associated With The Beatles:...

No.44: The Grapes. Any such "survey" would be a tragic waste of time (errr...) were it not to include this place (and Ye Cracke, of course, of which more anon). Just down the road from the Cavern, and a regular stopping off point for all the Merseybeat bands, it also boasts the only picture that I know of to feature them en-piste in a British pub. How much the Grapes now resembles the hostelry of yore is a matter of debate; the exterior has been completely remodelled, and the corner where they supped is, in common with much else in "Mythew St" (to quote a pithy Woolerism), possibly over-Beatled:


According to the venerable Savage Young Beatles site, the pic in question is actually back to front, as are certain others on these pages (comments duly etceterad - but I can't be arsed doing anything about it). It should look like this (and note too the surviving section of wallpaper):


As I was sat ruminating on these and other matters of world import, a couple of locals came over for a look at the spot (known as the Royal Table, apparently. Yes, I know); having discussed it for a few minutes, one of them delivered his parting shot - "That sign should read 'Two twats once sat here'". Two? Hmmm. Moving swiftly on:


No.43: The White Star. Just off Mathew St, and the other Merseybeat locale, much frequented by ye-know-who, apparently. There is even a metal plaque to this effect just by the entrance:


Said back room, again, somewhat over-Beatled (and this is me saying that):


More anon, and 50 might not cover it.

50 Pubs Associated With The Beatles:...

No. 48: The Shakespeare's Head. Oh go oooon then. This pub, on Carnaby Street, served as an evening opener for John on at least a couple of occasions in 1963, according to Tony Bramwell in the book what he "wrote".


No. 47: Pizza Express. Not even a pub. What a ridiculous parcel of nonsense this is. On a theme of nonsense, it doesn't get more so than John's "I am Jesus" malarkey. To recap briefly - John, up for 3 days on speed 'n' acid, as you do, finally and comprehensively jumps that shark by deciding he is Jesus. Convening a meeting at the Wigmore Street Apple office, he (sorry, He) informs the others that this is his "thing". Non-plussed, the Fabs proceed to go for a meal, where someone or other approaches the Messiah and says "You're John Lennon". The big C responds "Actually I'm Jesus." Said bloke: "Really? Well, I loved your last album. Thought it was great". Tittersome stuff, no doubt.
This anecdote first saw the light in Pete Shotton's excellent autobiography. Interestingly, he's recounted the tale on at least two other occasions, both of which paint events slightly differently. In Spitz's error-fest, it sounds like John was actually experiencing some kind of mental/nervous breakdown, rather than a ridiculous, but essentially amusing acid inspired palaver. In the version recounted in Spencer Leigh's also excellent Tomorrow Never Knows, they don't go to a restaurant post-revelation, but rather to the pub. (You can see where I'm going with this, can't you?)
Tragic hairy palmed obsessive that I am, I couldn't help wondering where this restaurant or pub might have been. One contender, if it was a restaurant, might be Genevieve, a French establishment a couple of streets away from the Wigmore HQ. According to the Beatles' London, they came here in 1966 during a break filming the promos for Paperback Writer. It's now...you guessed it...the above Pizza Express (mmmmmmmm pizza).
But what if it was actually a pub? Eh? Well...


No 46: The Devonshire Arms. Withing stumbling distance of the Apple office, and a regular haunt of the "moptops" in 1963, this has to be a contendah.


No 45: The Pontefract Castle. Again, within stumbling distance, on the same block as the Wigmore Street office, and, fairly crucially, there in the 1960s. At the very least, this must have seen the arses of Apple employees on a goodly number of occasions, possibly literally.
Finally, there are those who now think that the following familiar pic, taken outside Kenwood, was actually captured on the very day of the Jesus incident, and shortly before Yoko arrived for the Two Virgins evening. Close scrutiny may provide some supporting evidence. Ahem:


I'm off for a stiff drink.

50 Pubs Associated With The Beatles: ...

No.50: The Blue Posts. Actually, they never drank here, but they did walk past it a few times. Places The Beatles Walked Past A Few Times would be a stultifyingly dull blog (and one that I would no doubt follow avidly, and, indeed, author). However, the noteworthy (or not) thing is that they were captured walking past it by Dezo Hoffmann on July 2, 1963; in the famous shots taken in Rupert Court, the sign outside the Blue Posts can be seen hanging in the background:


Thrilling stuff, no doubt. The pub is, quite clearly, still there. Another then and now of the Court o' Rupert:


Anyway, onwards to:


No.49: The Golden Lion. They never drank here either. They possibly walked past it a few times. Places The Beatles Possibly Walked Past A Few Times would be an even more ludicrous excursion into the far reaches of tedium than the aforementioned Places The Beatles Walked Past A Few Times (or the potentially very large indeed Places The Beatles Never Walked Past). However, there is another connection; the story goes that back in the shikshtiesh, this pub was a place where, if one were a lithe young man with an interest in meeting other lithe young men, lithe young men might be met... and a certain Brian Epstein was a regular. But the Beatles themselves never came here.
No. 48: Actually, this pub thing is a ridiculous topic, and I am abandoning it. (Coming soon! "50 Places Where John Lennon Punched Someone Out." You think I'm joking? Dear God, how I wish I were.)