A blue plaque honouring Beatles legend George Harrison is being unveiled on Friday at his childhood home in Liverpool – among the first such plaques outside of London.
Known as “the quiet Beatle”, Harrison lived at 12 Arnold Grove in Liverpool’s Wavertree from his birth in 1943 until the age of seven. Having left his mark on the music world, not least by writing beloved track Here Comes the Sun, Harrison died of cancer in 2001 aged 58.
His widow Olivia Harrison, who is unveiling the tribute at the guitarist’s unassuming former house alongside UK Culture Minister Stephen Parkinson, described the plaque as “a source of family pride”.
The blue plaque at the Victorian two-up two-down terraced house in Liverpool is only the third outside of London, with the first two placed in honour of Daphne Steele, credited as the “first black matron” in the NHS; and ceramic artist Clarice Cliff.
Yoko Ono, the widow of John Lennon, unveiled a blue plaque at the first home the couple shared in London in 2010.
Yoko Ono unveiled a blue plaque commemorating John Lennon in 2010.
Commemorative blue plaques started in London in the 1860s and have been managed by English Heritage since 1986 – the scheme was initially limited to London and, though a number of spin-off blue plaque schemes popped up around the country, it is only this year that they are expanding nationwide.
The unveiling of the plaque at Harrison’s childhood home kicks off an eight-week nomination period, where members of the public can suggest who they would like to see honoured with a blue plaque.
