The Beatles: Blue plaque unveiled at George Harrison’s childhood home in Liverpool as crowds gather

The birthplace of Beatles legend George Harrison is now home to a special blue plaque, celebrating the life of one of Liverpool’s greatest musicians.

The plaque was unveiled outside a two-up/two-down Victorian terraced house in Wavertree, where Harrison was born in 1943 and spent his early childhood years, leaving when he was nearly seven years old.

George’s wife, Olivia Harrison - who officially revealed the plaque at 11.00am on Friday (May 24) - said the house at 12 Arnold Grove was ‘undeniably a part’ of who he was, adding that the blue plaque recognition is ‘a source of family pride for all the Harrisons’.

Often called ‘the quiet Beatle’, George was the band’s lead guitarist and a talented songwriter, responsible for hits such as While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Something and Here Comes the Sun.

The youngest member of the Beatles, he was just 17 when the band embarked on their trip to Hamburg in 1960, and was the first of the four to score a number one single in the UK music charts after the band split up a decade later. The unveiling of his commemorative plaque marks the start of an eight-week public nomination period for the new national blue plaque scheme, which was previously limited to London.

Run by Historic England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the scheme is designed to highlight the stories of inspirational people, from all walks of life, who have made a significant contribution to human welfare or happiness. Culture Secretary, Lucy Frazer, said ‘there can’t be a more fitting recipient’ than Harrison, adding: “His skill as a musician and songwriter is celebrated all over the world and has inspired many to embark on a career in music, but it is here in the place of his birth that his legacy is strongest felt.”

The new blue plaque is the third to celebrate members of the Beatles, with two already erected at 34 Montagu Square, Marylebone, London (where Ringo Starr once lived) and 251 Menlove Avenue in Liverpool, where John Lennon grew up.