One of the world’s most famous songs is set to turn a former children’s home into a major tourist attraction. For decades, fans of The Beatles have been flocking to look through the Liverpudlian red gates that inspired John Lennon's <em>Strawberry Fields Forever </em>and now the former Salvation Army garden is welcoming visitors inside. Located in the suburb of Woolton, the graffiti-scrawled gates that lead to Strawberry Field have opened to the public and visitors can go inside to explore the place where Lennon played as a child and where the roots of the hit 1967 song are found. The site is still owned and run by the Salvation Army, and the new attraction offers a window in to the lives of The Beatles through a carefully curated collection of books, sheet music, photographs and more. An interactive exhibition also delves into the history of Lennon’s childhood and contains interviews with Paul McCartney and George Martin. Visitors can even learn to play the intro of <em>Strawberry Fields Forever </em>on a Mellotron, the same instrument Lennon used to create the melancholic notes. Last year, around 60,000 visitors flocked to the replica red gates. That number is expected to rise now that tourists can see the original gates which are located inside the grounds and take a stroll through the iconic gardens. Entry tickets cost £12.95 (Dh60) for adults and £8 (Dh37) for children and sales also support young people with learning disabilities and other barriers to employment living in the Liverpool area. A mini bus emblazoned with lyrics from the song picks tourists up from Albert Dock in the centre of Liverpool to bring them to Strawberry Field. Transport cost from £4 (Dh19).
