Liverpool club where the Beatles played turned into B&B by original drummer Pete Best
Beatles fans in search of a nostalgic experience can now book to stay at what was originally a club where the band performed some of their first gigs.
The Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool has been transformed into a B&B by the group’s original drummer Pete Best (later replaced by Ringo Starr).
The venue is located inside a Grade II listed Victorian Mansion that was owned by Best’s mother Mona.
She came up with the idea to found a members-only club in the basement of the family home for Best and his younger brother Roag along with their friends to hang out and listen to music.
Beatles fans can stay the night in one of the band’s first gig venues
The brick and cream painted house at 8 Hayman's Green in the West Derby area of Liverpool was one of the first gig venues for the band.
The group transformed the basement into an intimate venue where they gave concerts.
The space saw 13 performances by John Lennon’s first band, the Quarrymen, and more than 40 by The Beatles.
Now, the rooms upstairs have been turned into suites named after John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and the original bass player Stuart Sutcliffe - but not Ringo Starr.
Roag Best emphasised that this was not a reflection of bad feelings between Pete and Ringo but simply that the latter never performed in the space.
For Pete, the accommodation is a "lasting tribute" to the Fab Four.
"The Beatles played here, The Beatles partied here and The Beatles slept here," the 82-year-old told the BBC, calling the five-apartment Airbnb a "projection" of his mother's dream.
The suites are decorated with band memorabilia. The McCartney suite has portraits of the singer on the walls. The Best suite has cushions with images of drumkits while the Lennon suite has a replica of his guitar.
The basement has been preserved as it was when the band played there, with drumkits still on display and the famous phrase 'John I'm back' etched into the ceiling.
The accommodation has already welcomed guests, suggesting that Beatlemania is still alive and well - and a great sell.
