大象传媒

For most National Trust custodians their daily round may include a brisk constitutional through the grounds of a country manor or the dusting down of an antique sideboard.

John Halliday鈥檚 charge is slightly different, on a normal suburban street in Allerton, Liverpool, looking after Sir Paul McCartney's childhood home at 20 Forthlin Road his life is firmly set in the late 1950's.

John Halliday (right) with Colin Hall from Mendips

The sheer ordinariness of Paul McCartney鈥檚 childhood home, which sets it apart from the many stately homes and country piles owned by the National Trust, was one of the reasons it was purchased in the mid 1990's.

The house was renovated to look exactly like it would when Sir Paul and his family took up residence in the 1950鈥檚.

Eight days a week

Since it opened in 1998 John Halliday has been the live-in custodian and for him it鈥檚 a dream come true, 鈥淚鈥檓 a Beatle fan, Paul鈥檚 my favourite Beatle and I get paid to live in his house.

"I work for the National Trust, the house is open to the public, you can book tours, it鈥檚 open Wednesday to Sunday.

"Five days a week, though it sometimes seems like eight days a week.

"It鈥檚 been recreated inside and out to look how it did when the McCartney鈥檚 lived here.

"There鈥檚 a set of photographs around the house by Paul鈥檚 brother Mike whose hobby as a schoolboy was taking photos."

Inside 20 Forthlin Road (c) National Trust

The world wide popularity of The Beatles ensures that the house is never short of visitors, "People come from all over the world and they鈥檙e obviously amazed to come in the house.

"This is where Paul lived with his brother Michael and his father and mother.

"The family lived here from 1955 to 1964, but sadly Mrs McCartney died in 1956."

For music fans the house is of great significance as, along with John Lennon鈥檚 old home Mendips, it鈥檚 the location where many of The Beatle鈥檚 early songs were composed, "The Quarrymen and The Beatles used to meet and rehearse in the front parlour", says John.

"John and Paul wrote about 100 songs in the house including Love Me Do, From Me To You, part of She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, even When I鈥檓 64, which wasn鈥檛 used until much later."

After ten years in residence, a year longer than McCartney himself lived there, John says the house feels just like home, "When I first moved in I was in total awe of the place.

Paul McCartney wrote many songs in the house

"Now I鈥檝e lived here ten years it has become my house, when I come in now the first thing I do is put the kettle on.

"It has got a downside to it, people are outside the house all the time, in the height of summer there can be a hundred people outside the house.

"It鈥檚 great, I love it, but sometimes you just want to sneak out the house and disappear to the corner shop and as soon as they see you coming out the house they collar you and want to know all about the house.

"People knock on the door, the latest time for someone knocking was ten past two in the morning."

Late night interruptions aside, for John living in the old home of one of his heroes is something that he never could have planned for, "The advert for the job was in the Big Issue.

"The theory was that as well as giving someone a job they could give someone a home.

"Other papers picked up on it, I think I read it in the Daily Mirror.

Bedroom at Forthlin Road (c) National Trust

"I thought 鈥業鈥檇 love that job鈥�, I just applied as a Beatle fan and thought 鈥榃ith a bit of luck I鈥檒l get shown round the house."

"When they offered me the job I was gobsmacked.

"I鈥檓 actually quite a shy person.

"People don鈥檛 believe it when they meet me because I鈥檓 confident talking about Macca and The Beatles.

"But ask me about anything else, and I鈥檓 as quiet as a mouse."

It鈥檚 not just Beatles enthusiasts who pay a visit, the previous residents have been known to drop by as John recalls, "Mike tends to come round to the house once a season.

"He鈥檚 a great character, he comes in and he鈥檚 almost like a friend.

The most famous ex-occupier has also called, but so far without success, "Paul鈥檚 knocked at the front door twice in the last five years,鈥� says John.

"And each time I was out so he didn鈥檛 get in."