Real estate has certainly become a hot commodity in the world of pop culture memorabilia as of late, with enterprising individuals snapping up famous houses and transforming them into vacation rentals. Fans can currently live out all their big and small screen fantasies at such famed properties as the mansion from “The Bachelor,” the farm that inspired “The Conjuring” and the St. Helens home from the original “Twilight.” And now Beatles aficionados can gear up for the ultimate Fab Four experience across the pond as George Harrison’s childhood home has just hit the short-term rental market!
Standing at the northern edge of a circular road at 25 Upton Green in Speke, a suburb about ten miles outside Liverpool City Centre, the terrace house landed on the auction block in late 2021. (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.) Three thousand miles away, the sale piqued the interest of New Hampshire resident and longtime Beatles fan Ken Lambert. As the N.H. Union Leader details, “Lambert first learned that Harrison’s old home was going to be auctioned off through multiple news reports last November. Some of his buddies also forwarded him the stories and encouraged him to bid, but they were half-joking. While he considered bidding, Lambert didn’t get serious about it until the day before the Nov. 30 auction, when he finally decided to pre-register through the auction house. The auction was held with bidders who placed bids online, via phone and in person. Lambert was shocked when he placed his bid and no one outbid him. A minute later, the hammer came down, and he was declared the winner. ‘I think the final price was a reasonable number,’ he said.”
Being that the guitar Kurt Cobain strummed during Nirvana’s “MTV Unplugged in New York” concert fetched more than $6 million in a 2020 sale, Lambert’s winning bid of £171,000 (about $220,000) actually seems relatively low for such an esteemed piece of music history.
Ownership of the trophy pad secured, Lambert had to figure out his next move. He told the New York Post, “Once I realized I was the winner, it was pretty shocking. I really started to think about what I was going to do with the property. I’m not a wealthy individual. It’s not like I go around buying up properties. I’m a Beatles fan, yes, but I am a big George Harrison fan specifically.” As such, he opted to share his good fortune with like-minded enthusiasts by reimagining the place as a Fab Four-inspired vacation rental. Available through Airbnb, the three-bedroom, one-bath, 936-square-foot homestead is being offered to parties of up to five guests with rates starting at about $260 a night.