Readers have responded to Paul McCartney’s recent interview about his childhood memories of Dungeon Lane in Speke, Liverpool, highlighting the environmental decline of the area. The lane, which inspired McCartney’s nostalgic new album, was closed permanently in 2019 when Liverpool airport’s perimeter fence was extended, despite local protests.
Greg Quiery of Liverpool notes that the closure is part of a wider pattern of green spaces being lost across Britain. He points to landowners obstructing rights of way, pesticide use reducing butterfly and bee populations, and the coastal path falling into disrepair. Research by Liverpool John Moores University has also found a build-up of PFAS chemicals on Oglet Shore.
The airport’s master plan includes substantial construction in the area, which is designated as a wetland site of international importance. Quiery warns that the site, home to small mammals, bats, butterflies, and thousands of wading birds, is in jeopardy, with statutory regulators offering no remedies.
Stuart Robertson, who lived in Speke in the 1950s and 1960s, recalls Dungeon Lane as a “country dream” for a child. He also remembers the modern houses designed by Sir Lancelot Keay, and believes he may know the “Repartee” joke McCartney mentioned, though he says it is too colourful to print.
Maggie Patel, born in a Speke council flat attended by midwife Mary McCartney (Paul’s mother), shares her fond memories of growing up in the area. She also offers a version of the “Repartee” joke, involving a library visit and a sharp retort, which she hopes will jog McCartney’s memory.
