Did strawberries grow at Strawberry Field Liverpool?

Visitors to Strawberry Field Liverpool often ask, 'Why is it called Strawberry Field? Did strawberries grow here?' And the answer is always, 'Well, maybe...'

The name Strawberry Field was first given to a Gothic-style mansion built in 1870. In 1876, its original owner, George Warren, officially named the property Strawberry Field. The house later became a Salvation Army children’s home. While there is nothing to prove why Warren chose the name Strawberry Field, it is possible that it was a nod to the land's former use.

It is possible that strawberries were grown on the land before the house was built, or at least on part of it. We know that the name Woolton is derived from 'Wulfa's Tun', meaning Wulfa's farm, indicating that the entire suburb was originally farmland. Before Warren bought the land, it was called 'Newstead' and owned by William Chidson, a keen gardener who grew fruit and vegetables. He may well have grown strawberries on his land. Strawberries were certainly grown in the area, as confirmed by an 1867 copy of Liverpool Daily Post, which celebrates a man called ‘Campbell’ winning First Prize for his ‘Twenty-four Strawberries’ at the Woolton Horticultural Show. 

Colin Hall, former custodian of 'Mendips' agrees with this theory. Colin was a custodian for John Lennon's childhood home for some twenty years, and his responsibilities included internal upkeep and maintenance of the gardens. Colin explains, "The back garden of the house was the largest of its three cultivated areas and backs directly onto the back gardens of the houses on Vale Road, some of which are just across the road from the imposing wall behind which (when John lived there) lay the grounds of Strawberry Field."

"Both in John’s time and mine, the back garden was mainly lawn with substantial flower beds on three of its sides. John’s Aunt Mimi and Uncle George were keen gardeners and in the back they planted apple, pear and damson trees. They also cultivated soft fruits such as red and black currants, gooseberries and raspberries. Mimi would trade plants and seeds with neighbours. 

"When my wife Sylvia and I tended the back garden in late summer, we would always find wild strawberries growing in the flower beds. By then I had become good friends with David Upton who lives in Ivan Vaughan’s former home on Vale Road. He confirmed that wild strawberries had been growing in his gardens ever since he has lived in the house (which is a very long time now). Dave, Sylvia and I believed that these plants were indigenous to the area and were no doubt how Strawberry Field originally came by its name."

While we may never know for certain, it seems likely that the mansion was named Strawberry Field as a nod to the fact that strawberries grew on the land, even if they were wild rather than cultivated.

This written piece was made possible thanks to 'From Silk to a Song: A Complete History of Strawberry Field' by Philip Kirkland, 'Places they remember: Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields' by Rachel Jones and Colin Hall.