Strawberry Fields Forever Gone

A young John Lennon used to visit the Strawberry Field home in Woolton, Liverpool, to play with the orphans.

Lennon was inspired to write the hit track, which was released as a double A-side with Penny Lane in 1967, after visiting the Strawberry Field home in Woolton on several occasions to play with the orphans.

However, the owners of the the home, the Salvation Army, have today revealed they are now planning to close the facility.

Marion Drew, divisional leader for the North-West Salvation Army, said the closure was due to the current preference of placing children with foster carers rather than institutions.

She added: "We have to give two years' notice of closure, which we did yesterday, but there is no precise date for closure yet.

"The three children currently staying there will be found foster homes. That was always the plan for them, so they will not be affected by the closure."

Ms Drew said no decision has yet been made on the fate of the building or its famous gates, which have become a landmark for Beatles fans paying homage to Lennon.

Lennon left money to the home in his will and his widow Yoko Ono donated more than £50,000 in 1984 to keep it afloat.

It has been suggested that Lennon felt a kinship with the orphans after he was abandoned by his father and his mother Julia sent him to live with his Aunt Mimi.