Ringo Starr’s Childhood Home Saved from Demolition Even Though Everyone Hates It
The Telegraph announced Thursday that the childhood home of Ringo Starr would be spared demolition following a public campaign in the Beatle's native Liverpool to save it.
Then again, to call it his "childhood home" is to use the term loosely; Starr lived there for just three months as an infant.
The residence, a three-bedroom Victorian, has been described in the press as "dilapidated," "run-down," "covered in graffiti," "not architecturally or historically significant," and "not [meriting saving] for the nation."
Yeesh. From the way people are hating on this poor house, you'd think it was Ringo himself.
The Telegraph reported back in May that residents of the neighborhood were hopeful the National Trust, which maintains the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, would take over the property and turn it into a tourist destination, so that people from all over the world could come see the dilapidated, non-architecturally significant house where Ringo Starr briefly lived before he developed the ability to form memories.
The National Trust responded that, much like Ringo Starr himself, the home was insignificant to The Beatles' history, adding that it does not possess the fiscal resources to buy up every single home one of the Beatles had ever walked by or been to or not been to:
"History tells us that the Beatles lived in more than a dozen houses during their collective childhoods and it would not be realistic for the Trust to try and acquire all of these buildings."
Oooh, ya burned, dilapidated Victorian terrace at 9 Madryn Street, Liverpool, U.K.
And this wasn't the first time: Back in 2010, English Heritage refused to grant Starr's birthplace "listed building"status, an acknowledgement that a building has "exceptional architectural or historic special interest."
Listed buildings can still be altered or demolished. They wouldn't even give it that.
In any case, even though we are all in agreement that Ringo Starr's infant home is the worst place in the world —that there is literally not a place on or within planet Earth worse than Ringo Starr's infant home— it's being saved.
The Telegraph reported Thursday that the Liverpool City Council has earmarked £14 million in funding to give the community the chance to refurbish 16 of the homes on Madryn Street (of the 400 in Dingle, Liverpool originally marked for demolition), to "gauge demand for property in the area."
Housing Minister Grant Shapps explained the plan on the steps of the Starkeys' former home (Ringo Starr, né: Richard Starkey — bar trivia) with a boatload Yellow Submarine-load of Beatles puns:
"With the Help! of Liverpool residents we worked it out and Madryn street can be saved for the nation. Its future will now be in the hands of local residents – if they can make a success of this street then many more similar houses and streets could be saved."
Hey, Jude — really glad the neighborhood was able to Come Together to save this place. Just goes to show that All You Need Is Love and maybe a little assistance from Maxwell's Silver Hammer to Help! Something Get Back to where it once belonged. I'm sure the place will be looking as Lovely as Rita the meter-maid, after just A Hard Day's Night of work. Strawberry Fields Forever.
For pictures of Liverpool's future #1 Ringo Starr infancy tourist attraction, check out the Telegraph article.