Town
Hall,
Market
Street,
Earlestown,
Newton-le-Willows,
Lancashire
Earlestown
from above. The Town Hall is clearly visible right of centre
Historically
within Lancashire, Earlestown is named after Hardman Earle* (11 July 1792 - 25
January 1877) who was the Chairman of the London and North Western railway. The
town forms the western part of Newton-le-Willows, about a 40 minutes drive from
Liverpool.
Earlestown
owes its location - indeed its very existence - to early transport links such
as the nearby Sankey Canal and the Liverpool to Manchester railway. In July
1831, the Warrington and Newton railway was opened, less than 6 months after
the Liverpool and Manchester railway began service. A railway station was built
at the junction of the two railways, a mile west of the town of Newton in
Makerfield (now Newton-le-Willows) and was given the name Newton Junction. A
locomotive and wagon works was built just west of the station and a model town
was constructed for its workers. In 1837, the name of the station was changed
to Earlestown. Other industries followed and significant employers in the town
included the Sankey Sugar works and T and T Vicars Ltd, who moved to Earlestown
from their Liverpool premises in 1867. They made machinery for the continuous
production of biscuits, bread, wafers and confectionery.
On 21
March 1921, ukulele player, singer and comedian George Formby (left) gave his first
ever professional appearance (billed as George Hoy - his mother's maiden name)
in a two-week run at the Earlestown Hippodrome, where he received a fee of £5 a
week. John Lennon and George Harrison were both big fans, George going so far
as to attending a George Formby Convention in the Imperial Hotel, Blackpool in
1991, delighting those present with a rendition of "In My Little Snapshot
Album" performed on ukelele!
The town hall stands on the junction of Market, Tamworth and Stanley Streets, fronted by a war memorial.
The
Beatles engagement in Earlestown occurred at the end of a hectically busy week,
something which was becoming the norm at the end of 1962.
The
previous Saturday (24th) the Beatles had performed at the Royal Lido Ballroom
in Prestatyn, North Wales before travelling back to Liverpool on the Sunday for
an evening appearance at the Cavern Club.
On
Monday the group returned to EMI Studio Two in Abbey Road, London to record
their second single, Please, Please Me b/w Ask Me Why. Travelling down by train they arrived at the
studio for 6pm and recording took place between 7pm and 9.45pm. 18 takes of
Please, Please Me were recorded and six of Ask Me Why. The single was released
on 11 January 1963.
The
group stayed overnight in London, spending the afternoon of Tuesday 27th at the
BBC's Paris Studio in Regent Street recording a radio session for the Light
Programme show The Talent Spot . People listening to the broadcast on Tuesday
4th December heard the Beatles perform Love Me Do, PS I Love You, and Twist And
Shout.
On
Wednesday 28 November the Beatles were back in Liverpool with two night time
engagements. After a performance at the Cavern the group made their way over to
Lewis's Department Store in Ranelagh Street, providing the music for the
staff's "Young Idea Dance" held on the top floor.
The day
before the Earlestown show the Beatles were over on the Wirral, playing a
Thursday night booking at the Majestic Ballroom in Birkenhead.
The
Earlestown engagement was billed as ‘The Big Beat Show No 2’, and was presented
by the football section of the T and T
Vicars Sports and Social Club.
Google
"Beatles" together with the name of a UK town where they performed
and more often than not you will find a blog or discussion board about that
specific town where local people have shared their memories of the night they
saw the Beatles.
The
discussion board: http://newton-le-willows.com/history/viewtopic. has several
gems worth repeating here together with a few quotes that illustrate how time
can play tricks on the memory, no matter how sure of the facts some people
think they are:
I am
just speaking on Skype to my Dad (as I type) and he tells me that they had a
"do" for Vicks football Club at Earlestown Town Hall and top of the
Bill was none other than the Beatles. I wonder if anyone who went took a photo
of the Beatles at the town Hall? (She,
2.2.10)
Paul at
the mike, onstage in Earlestown 30 November 1962. The photo was taken by Tom
Tyrrell, a press photographer and journalist working in and around the
northwest. The audience seem more interested in the camera than the Beatles!
I
recently read an article in the local newspaper that covered that event (at)
the Boys Club, in which Frankie Vaughan opened the premises in Grafton Street
in November 1960. That newspaper was the Newton and Earlestown Guardian (I
think) and can be viewed at the local Library. You can also order a print off
of the story if you wish.(mike 59)
Sorry
you are wrong the Club opened 30 11 62 by Frankie (approx 3500 crowd) the same
night the Beatles appeared at the Town Hall (approx 33 crowd). (michaelchorley, 26.10.10)
There
was more than 33 there! Although the majority turned out to see Pat Phoenix I'm
sure (neileen, 26.10.10)
If my
memory serves me well it was on a Friday night that the 'Silver Beatles' played
the town hall ' I can remember the 'day bill' (handbill) that was pasted on the
brick wall of the railway bridge in 'Bridge Street', the image was 'a pen and
ink' illustration of a 'beetle'! Frankie
Vaughan opened the Boys club that same evening!
(mark gardiner, 29.10.10)
The
group had dropped the "Silver" prefix in 1960, long before they had a
record contract.
I've
seen a small advertisement for that performance at the Town Hall, it didn't
mention any other acts, or even a start time, it went something like 'Why hang
around outside, when you can come inside and see The Beetles'. It also
mentioned something about getting the chance to either sing, or win the 'Love
Me Do' record !!
My
husband was hanging around outside the Town Hall with the other kids that
night, but being two weeks off his thirteenth birthday, he didn't go in as
dancing wasn't his thing and he was a bit young! But he's gone on ever since
about how impressed he was with George Harrison's two-tone Ford Consul that
night, parked near Welch's fishing tackle shop! (Colliedog, 21.10.10)
The
Ford Consul Classic belonged to Paul, his first car. George had only just
bought his first car, a Ford Anglia 150E, a month or so before the Earlestown
show.
This
was all a little before my time, but a few years ago somebody told me that
after the band had played at the Town Hall John Lennon went into the Newmarket
for a pint - not sure if this is true or not, the person who told me is a bit
of a dreamer.
(WillieBob, 29.1.07)
Hi
Earlestown, I was there, I remember walking out, they were rubbish, !!! I think they played at the Viaduct club
around that time. My wife Maria Frodsham went out with Macca for 7 weeks but
luckily she married me. (Bionic, 12.12.06)
We
weren't always good. You'd have these disastrous nights where you're all out of
tune, you forget how to turn the amps up, you forget where your levels are and
exactly how near (to) the mike it is you've got to sing (Paul McCartney in conversation with Mike
Read, BBC Radio 1, 13.10.87)
I can
find no record of the group ever performing at the Viaduct Club.
The
Beatles did indeed appear at Earlestown Town Hall in fact my cousin danced with
John Lennon the same night..A Wargrave man Jimmy Hamnett who died not very long
ago used to carry the contract for that night in his wallet and would proudly
show it to anyone who asked round and about in the pubs.
(Steven Dowd 13.3.05)
I think
it was Siobhan who told me her dad was in the audience that night.... and
apparently, John Lennon asked him, "where does all the local crumpet hang
out?" Now we know - they were all drooling over Frankie Vaughan in the
Boy's Club! Gimme the moonlight.... (Vic,
5.10.12)
What's
clear is that the Beatles weren't the biggest draw in the town that night. The
Liverpool born singer Frankie Vaughan was opening the Newton Boys Club in
nearby Grafton Street to packed out rooms with many disappointed fans outside
unable to get in.
"Mr
Moonlight": Frankie Vaughan at a
record signing in Liverpool.
Frank
Abelson was born in Devon Street, Liverpool in 1928. The stage name 'Vaughan' came from his
grandmother who used to call him 'my number one' grandson (because he was the
first one born). In her Russian accent 'one' sounded like 'Vaughan'. His career began in the late 1940s performing
song and dance routines. He was a flamboyant dresser, wearing a top hat, bow
tie, tails and a cane. In the 1950s he worked for a few years with the band
of Nat Temple before making records
under his own name. In 1955, he recorded what was to become his trademark song,
"Give Me the Moonlight, Give Me the Girl".
In his
early life, he was a member of the Lancaster Lads' Club, a member group of the
National Association of Boys' Clubs in the UK. During his career he was a major
contributor to different Boy's clubs - his appearance in Earlestown being one
of many visits he made around the country - even going so far as donating the
royalties from one of his songs to them each year in gratitude for the
important part they played in his youth.
I think
that the same night Frankie Vaughan played the Boy's Club in Earlestown and
more people showed up there!!! (daveR,
12.11.06)
If I
recall right, Pat Phoenix (Elsie Tanner in 'Coronation Street') appeared with
the Beatles that night (Mike)
Pat
Phoenix was an English Actress who became one of British TV's first sex symbols
through her role as Elsie Tanner in Granada TV's 'Coronation Street'. She was an
original cast member from 1960 to 1973 (returning in 1976 and staying until
1984). I can't uncover anything which might explain why she was there (one
source says she 'opened' for the Beatles but not in what capacity, certainly I
can't find any reference to her ever singing during her career. As she was two
years into her role as Elsie Tanner and probably considered something of a
celebrity actress perhaps she'd been invited to Earlestown simply to introduce
the Beatles on stage and pull a few more punters in).
Patricia "Pat" Phoenix on the front
of the TV Times, November 1964
Despite
recollections suggesting the Beatles had a bit of an "off" night, I
wonder how many of the audience of 33 or more who remember the gig today could
ever have predicted that the four Liverpool lads with the funny haircuts they
had been dancing to at the town hall that night would become the biggest group
in history?
I
wonder if "Mr Moonlight" was in the set-list that night?
Note:
*
Hardman Earle lived in Allerton Tower, off Menlove Avenue, Liverpool.
Source:
The Beatles Chronicle by Mark Lewisohn.
http://newton-le-willows.com/history/viewtopic.php
THE
BEATLES - A collection of ephemera put
together by the vendor Tom Tyrrell, a press photographer and journalist working
in and around the northwest from the 1960s onwards. An original black and white
photograph taken by Tom Tyrrell of The Beatles at The Earlestown Hall,
Newton-Le-Willows before going on stage, Friday 30th November 1962, Ringo is
seen holding an advanced copy of their recently released first EMI record
"Love Me Do" with letter of provenance from the vendor and
photographer, also this picture comes with the publishing rights to the image.
Also one other original photograph of The Beatles appearing on stage at The
Earlestown Hall, Newton-Le-Willows on Friday November 30th 1962, again sold
with letter of provenance by the photographer and vendor Mr Tom Tyrrell and all
publishing rights to this image
(Source: F.R. Marshall and Co. / 17th March 2009)
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