Mary Chadwick, general manager of The Beatles Story in Liverpool's Royal Albert Dock, has spent 32 years helping keep the band's legacy alive. As the attraction prepares to move to a new site four times its current size, she reflects on her journey from floor team member to the museum's longest-serving employee.
A Career Built on Beatles Heritage
Mary, now 53, joined the attraction in 1994 at the age of 21. Growing up in Liverpool city centre, she initially studied travel and tourism with thoughts of going abroad. Her interest in the city's music heritage developed during her time at The Cavern, where she completed work experience and later worked.
She told the ECHO: "That's where I really found my love for the Beatles and Liverpool and the brand. Then a job came up for a team member on the floor at The Beatles Story which I went for, so I was working nights in The Cavern and then full-time in the museum at the start."
Mary started as a floor team member and has worked through almost every part of the business, from buyer to overseeing commercial operations before becoming general manager in 2019.
From Quiet Beginnings to Global Attraction
When Mary first joined, The Beatles Story was a much smaller operation, with a team of around 12 to 15 people and approximately 100,000 visitors a year. Now, the attraction welcomes around 320,000 visitors a year, according to Mary.
She said: "I just remember meeting and speaking to all these international people from all over the world, like Japan and America, making that special trip here to the city and thinking, 'How amazing is this?' that all these people have got out of their way to come here just for The Beatles."
She added: "When you go abroad, and people ask where you're from because they hear the accent and recognise it, they'll always mention either The Beatles or football, so when you get to say, 'Well, I actually work at The Beatles Story,' they're like, 'Oh my God, you must have the best job in the world'. And I actually genuinely think I have, to be honest."
Memorable Spaces and Memorabilia
Among the attraction's most memorable spaces for Mary is its recreation of the Cavern Club, built to the original venue's exact dimensions. She said: "It really does take you back. We pump smells in there, like disinfectant, so it takes you back to when they were playing in the 60s at the original Cavern. It's my favourite part."
She also treasures the attraction's collection of memorabilia, including a studio piano played by John Lennon on his final day, Lennon's glasses and George Harrison's first guitar. She said: "The piano looks amazing and the sound of it is really honky-tonk, which apparently he loved. With John's glasses you can actually look through them and see how bad his eyesight actually was."
But it is the White Room, at the end of the visitor journey, that offers perhaps the most moving experience. Mary said: "It's really special. A lot of people do get upset, because that's our final point. It's all about spreading John's message about love and world peace, so it's just beautiful."
Looking Ahead to the New Attraction
Plans for a new attraction four times the size of the current one have been announced. Apple Corps Ltd, the multimedia corporation founded by the Fab Four, will create the first ever official Beatles experience in the band's home city, taking over the iconic St Johns Beacon and the former St John's Market site. The Beatles Story will be moved and revamped into a central, immersive attraction in 2028.
Mary said: "The quadrupling in size takes me back to 2008 and the exciting time ahead of us. We were only a small attraction, and we were outgrowing our space. Then Liverpool was European Capital of Culture, and we tripled in size."
She added: "The Apple Corps team are just lovely. They're really respectful of the city, and the people, and the story. For us to be recognised and wanted as part of the new attraction really tells us that our foundation, what we've done over the last 36 years, is really important and it's a credit to us and the team."
After 32 years at the Royal Albert Dock, the thought of leaving the building behind is inevitably emotional. She said: "This has been our home for 36 years, so it will be emotional. But we genuinely couldn't do what we need to do with it four times the size in the location that we are. It's not practical, but we will be very sad when we close the doors for the last time."
