It was once a thriving maritime hub, including for the transatlantic slave trade, but after years of industrial decline, Liverpool’s economy is getting a boost from its most famous sons.

“This is the most important house of the most important band of contemporary music,” Magical Mystery Tour guide Dale Roberts tells tourists outside the terraced home where the Beatles’ Paul McCartney grew up.

A pedestrian walks past pictures of two of the Beatles on Mathew Street in Liverpool. | AFP-JIJI
A pedestrian walks past pictures of two of the Beatles on Mathew Street in Liverpool. | AFP-JIJI