IT was destined to be known as Lower Lee Lodge - forever.
However, location is everything - and a 250-year-old house in a world famous spot has overnight acquired a new name - along with a price tag in excess of a quarter of a million pounds.
How much it would have fetched as humble Lower Lee, who knows? But agents for the sellers expect offers to flood in for the property now known as… Strawberry Fields View.
The detached home, directly opposite the Strawberry Field gates in leafy Woolton, has been put up for sale.
Auctioneers Sutton Kersh say it is already attracting interest from fans of the Fab Four.
All they need is cash, around £275,000 at the current guide price.
The house will be auctioned in Liverpool on September 11 with the current owner hoping it attracts a true Beatles fan.
Location is everything
It is just around the corner from John Lennon’s boyhood home, Mendips, in Menlove Avenue, and a short walk from St Peter’s parish hall, in Church Road, where John and Paul McCartney famously met.
Sutton Kersh Auction Manager Cathy Holt said: "We have already had numerous inquiries from Beatles fans ... from around the world who appreciate its significance."
The official name of the house – as indicated on a sign tucked away on the front porch - is still in place.
But this colourful, oval brass sign has been added recently by the owner to capitalise on its unique position. Like the song's author, John Lennon, an extraneous "S" has been added to turn Strawberry Field, the correct name if the former orphanage, to Strawberry Fields.
Not Lower Lee Lodge forever
The lodge started life in 1750 as a single storey sandstone dwelling and the second floor extension was added 1939
The unnamed owner says his family has occupied the house for 20 years and it's time to move on.
Would the current residents like a Beatles fan to buy the property? The owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Liverpool Confidential: “I would particularly like the property to be bought by a Beatles fan, somebody who would fully appreciate the property for its history and location directly opposite Strawberry Fields gates.”
Strawberry Field, run by the Salvation Army, became world famous in 1967 with the release of the single forever in its name - a double A-Side with Penny Lane.
One of the young Lennon’s treats was the garden party that took place each summer in the grounds. Lennon's Aunt Mimi recalled: “As soon as we could hear the Salvation Army Band starting, John would jump up and down shouting "Mimi, come on. We're going to be late.”
He and his childhood friends Pete Shotton and Ivan Vaughan often played in the wooded area behind the building, which Lennon nicknamed in the plural "Strawberry Fields”.
