The Cavern Mecca was a
Beatles museum in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
. Founded in 1981 and named for the
Cavern Club
The Cavern Club is a nightclub on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England.
The Cavern Club opened in 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 50s and early 1960s. The club became closely assoc ...
, it was instrumental in the birth of Beatles fan-based tourism in Liverpool. It was located on the corner of Rainford Square and Mathew Street.
The museum was founded and run by Liz and Jim Hughes, who "single-handedly jump-started" what became the annual Beatles Convention in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, now part of the Beatles Week festival. When the museum and fan club were founded, the Beatles had been out of fashion and little acknowledged in Liverpool. The
Cavern Club
The Cavern Club is a nightclub on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England.
The Cavern Club opened in 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 50s and early 1960s. The club became closely assoc ...
itself, where the
Beatles had frequently played in their early years after returning from Hamburg, was closed in 1973 and later filled in as part of construction of the
Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, commuter rail network serving the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail operates 66 railway stations across two lines – the Northern Line (Merseyrail ...
underground rail loop. In the same year as the opening of the Cavern Mecca, plans were announced to excavate and reopen the
Cavern Club
The Cavern Club is a nightclub on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England.
The Cavern Club opened in 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 50s and early 1960s. The club became closely assoc ...
. The Cavern Club, complete with excavation of the original club, remained open from 1984 to 1989 before again closing, only to re-open again in 1991 as both a club and museum. The Cavern Mecca closed in December 1984 when founder Liz Hughes fell ill. Co-founder Jim Hughes died in 2018. In 2003, a signed copy of the
Beatles album ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'', together with an official souvenir programme from the fourth annual Beatles Convention of Cavern Mecca, sold for $290,000 at auction, breaking the record at the time for the price of a signed
Beatles album cover.
See also
*
The Beatles Story
__NOTOC__
The Beatles Story is a museum in Liverpool about the Beatles and their history. It is located on the historical Royal Albert Dock, and is owned by Mersey Ferries, part of Merseytravel.
The Beatles Story contains recreations of The ...
*
Liverpool Beatles Museum
*
List of music museums
This worldwide list of music museums encompasses past and present museums that focus on musicians, musical instruments or other musical subjects.
Argentina
* – Mina Clavero
* Academia Nacional del Tango de la República Argentina – Buenos ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
* – created by Alan Curran in 1984 after the original statue in 1981. Original was a fruit of the John Lennon Statue Appeal Fund organized by Jim Hughes of Cavern Mecca.
Music in Liverpool
Music museums in Liverpool
Museums established in 1981
Cultural depictions of the Beatles
Defunct museums in England
{{UK-museum-stub