New Brighton Tower

The Beatles played at the New Brighton Tower, on the opposite bank of the River Mersey to Liverpool, more than any other British venue apart from the Cavern - a total of 27 appearances.

The Steel tower was dismantled in 1919 after WW1 being unsafe, being neglected during the war - the public were not allowed into the tower during the war. The very large building under the tower was retained as it had a large ballroom and other amenities. The building was destroyed by fire in 1969. Many suspected arson by the owners. It was a superb imposing building. Houses now occupy the site.

Taken from the ferry pier:


The Beatles, with Pete Best, at the Tower, 24 November 1961:



Ironically Tony Meehan, who is billed on the poster, was influential in rejecting the Beatles at the DECCA auditions in London, which were on the 1st January 1962.

The Rolling Stones also appeared at the Tower, along with Little Richard and many others.

The ballroom and stage:

Very interesting.
I like to see the places they played and a lot have now disappeared!

Lewisohn says they made 27 appearances at the Tower ballroom, if I've counted correctly.He says it was one of the Beatles' favourite venues.

Since it's across the water it's in Cheshire not Lancashire and comes under Wallasey!

Originally Posted by zipp

Very interesting.
I like to see the places they played and a lot have now disappeared!

Lewisohn says they made 27 appearances at the Tower ballroom, if I've counted correctly.He says it was one of the Beatles' favourite venues.

Since it's across the water it's in Cheshire not Lancashire and comes under Wallasey!

Wallasey "was" in Cheshire but now in Merseyside with Liverpool. In effect it is a suburb of Liverpool linked by the rapid transit rail metro Merseyrail. It did have ferries which now are discontinued. Many people in Wallasey work in Liverpool. IMO, the sooner the Wirral is incorporated into Liverpool the better.

How they created enough volume to fill the large ballroom is beyond me. They never microphoned up the drums then. Near the stage you had volume and many would crowd around the stage.

The Tower ballroom burning down:


There was a proposal for a new modern tower in 2000. Here is one, a marina proposal.

Thanks for the info.

Parts of the Wirral but not all of it are in Merseyside? Is that right?

In any case I think Lewisohn should keep to the old names or we won't know where we are !

Originally Posted by zipp

Thanks for the info.

Parts of the Wirral but not all of it are in Merseyside? Is that right?

In any case I think Lewisohn should keep to the old names or we won't know where we are !

All north Wirral between the Mersey and the Dee is in Merseyside - from 1974. It is ridiculous as Merseyside does not cover all the banks of the Mersey estuary which it should have. The McCartney Family, inc Paul, have houses in Heswall, in Merseyside on the banks of the River Dee. Daniel Craig (James Bond) and Glenda Jackson were both brought up in Hoylake not far away. The Merseyrail rapid transit metro tends to bind a lot of Merseyside together - it needs extending though, onto mothballed lines and tunnels.

The McCartney family, inc Paul, all came out in support against the closure of the local post office:
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/...4375-20121517/

To get back to the New Brighton Tower.

This is where a seventeen-year-old twisting girl inspired I Saw Her Standing There!

Yes Iris Caldwell. Sister of Rory Storm:


Rory was a natural athlete and so would have been Iris to an extent, and hence the twisting. Her first boyfriend was George Harrison.

Here she is, far left. Iris was a dancer.

Correction. The Beatles played at the Aintree Institute 31 time, 4 more than the Tower.

I notice on the photo of the place burning down there's a kind of ski lift. Was that to take tourists onto the roof of the building?

Originally Posted by zipp

I notice on the photo of the place burning down there's a kind of ski lift. Was that to take tourists onto the roof of the building?

Yes. The building was high and also on a hill. The view over the Mersey estuary was superb as New Brighton was at the extreme mouth of the river. At high tide you could see countless large and small ships sailing by. The view when the steel tower was there must have been amazing. New Brighton was a day tripper resort, like Coney Island in New York.

The Lusitania passing by: