Beatles fans can now step inside John Lennon’s former school and explore some of the places where his journey towards becoming one of the world’s most influential musicians began.
John Lennon School Tours offers visitors access to the former Quarry Bank High School for Boys, which is now part of Calderstones School in Allerton.
The experience has been described by organisers as a world first, opening areas of the historic school to fans, tourists and music lovers for the first time. The tours launched in January 2026 and take visitors back to Lennon’s school days and the earliest beginnings of The Quarry Men.
Discover where Beatles history began
Long before The Beatles became a global phenomenon, John Lennon was a pupil at Quarry Bank High School.
School records show that John Winston Lennon was admitted on 4 September 1952. It was during his time at the school that Lennon formed The Quarry Men, the group that would eventually evolve into The Beatles.
The guided tour brings this important part of Liverpool’s musical history to life by taking visitors into locations connected with Lennon’s teenage years.
Among the highlights is Quarry Hall, home to the original stage where organisers say John Lennon and The Quarry Men first performed. Visitors can also enter Quarry House and see the former headteacher’s office, where Lennon reportedly found himself on more than one occasion.
The tour also visits Quarry Lawn, the location of one of Lennon’s well-known school photographs, alongside the room connected with the formation of The Quarry Men.
Stories, artefacts and school memories
The experience goes beyond simply visiting the buildings.
Guests will hear stories connected to Lennon’s school years, including accounts gathered from people who witnessed parts of the story first-hand. The tour also features exclusive artefacts, archive material and surprises relating to Lennon, The Quarry Men and the history of the school.
For Beatles fans who have already visited famous Liverpool locations such as Penny Lane, Strawberry Field and Lennon’s childhood home, the school tour provides a different perspective.
Rather than looking at the building from outside, visitors are able to walk through the rooms, corridors and spaces that helped shape Lennon during his teenage years.
It offers a fascinating look at John Lennon before international fame, Beatlemania and the records that would change popular music forever.
A school with more than a century of history
Quarry Bank High School officially opened on 11 January 1922, initially welcoming 225 pupils. It later merged with Calder High School and Morrison Secondary Modern School in 1967 to become Quarry Bank Comprehensive School, before eventually becoming part of the modern-day Calderstones School.
The school buildings and grounds therefore hold more than a century of Liverpool educational history, as well as their unique connection to Lennon and the origins of The Beatles.
Through the tours, this history is being preserved and shared with a new generation of visitors from Liverpool and around the world.
John Lennon School Tour information
The guided experience lasts approximately one hour and 30 minutes.
All locations included in the scheduled group tours are wheelchair accessible, and free parking is available on Harthill Road and in the school’s staff car park. Tours are delivered in English, or, as the organisers describe it, “English (Scouse!)”.
Group tours are available on selected dates, while private tours can also be arranged by contacting the organisers at lennonschooltours@calderstones.co.uk.
The tours take place at Calderstones School, Harthill Road, Allerton, Liverpool, L18 3HS.
Tickets and upcoming dates can be found through the John Lennon School Tours page on the Calderstones School website.
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