Remember when everybody used to like Ringo Starr? Remember the days when he was the lovable voice of Thomas the Tank Engine? Yeah sure he was the ugliest and least credible of the Beatles but there was something adorable about this V-signing, peace-loving little drummer boy. Then in 2008 he made the mistake of smirking when Jonathan Ross asked whether he missed anything from Liverpool and within the hour he was our new hate figure. What a touchy bunch of idiots we are.
9 Madryn Street is the derelict, abandoned terraced house where, on 7th July 1940, Ringo was born and spent the first five years of his life. Sometime in the coming months the house, and the surrounding neighbourhood, will be flattened to make way for houses that people can actually live in. Campaigns and petitions have been triggered to save the building, suggesting that the city still has a soft spot for the groovy duffer, but if truth be told, losing it wouldn't be the greatest tragedy.
Madryn Street, with its narrowness and rows of trees, is indeed surprisingly attractive, if a bit ghostly now. I'd advise strolling down to have a look at the historical house before it's wiped off the face of the Earth, but don't chain yourself to the front door or attack the bulldozers as they close in. It's not that special. read more