A set of green wicker furniture that once adorned the dressing room of Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight, Wirral, has been saved from a skip and is now on display at the Liverpool Beatles Museum. The table and chairs were nearly discarded during a restoration of the hall last year, but an observant passer-by recognised their historical significance and pulled them out.
The furniture is linked to a pivotal moment in Beatles history: their first official gig with Ringo Starr on drums at Hulme Hall in August 1962, and their first radio interview, conducted by Monty Lister for Radio Clatterbridge in the same dressing room. A photograph from that interview shows the band gathered around one of the chairs, with Paul McCartney resting his foot on it.
Roag Best, owner of the museum and brother of original Beatles drummer Pete Best, explained that the items were initially sold to a buyer in the United States via auction site Tracks for £750. However, the buyer backed out due to high transport costs, allowing the museum to acquire them instead.
At the unveiling, a recording of Lister's interview was played, in which he introduced the Beatles as an 'up and coming Merseyside group'. In the recording, Starr mentions joining the band nine weeks prior, and McCartney refers to Lennon as the 'leader of the group'. The band also discusses their Hamburg performances and songwriting.
Best highlighted the furniture's dual significance: 'It's involved with Ringo's first performance as a member of the Beatles and it's also iconic because it's tied to the Beatles' first radio broadcast.' The museum, located on Mathew Street, now showcases the set as a tribute to these historic events.
