Lennon, McCartney Childhood Homes Listed for Preservation by UK Government

The early houses of the former Beatles, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, where the duo wrote some of their earliest hit songs, will be preserved for ages by the government.

Britain's Heritage Minister John Penrose said that Lennon's and McCartney's homes in Liverpool will be listed as grade 2. This means, the homes cannot be altered without the exclusive permission of local officials, reported The Associated Press.

This decision ensures that the place where two of the world's greatest and most acclaimed songwriters will be protected for generations to come. Lennon and McCartney's popular songs, such as Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever, is often associated with the northern port city of Liverpool and their childhood homes, reported The Associated Press.

They were scenes of huge amounts of rehearsal, of composition of songs, really intense creative hubs, said Emily Gee of English Heritage, a government body that decides what buildings are deemed worthy of preservation, according to The Associated Press.

Lennon lived in a duplex house called Mendips located at 251 Menlove Ave. from 1945 to 1963 with his aunt and uncle, after his parents' marriage fell apart when he was five. McCartney lived in a house on Forthlin Road for nine years from 1955. When the Lennon and McCartney formed their first band, The Quarrymen while living in these houses, they wrote The Beatles first number one hit Please, Please Me.

Mendips always meant a great deal to John and it was where his childhood dreams came true for himself and for the world, said Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, in a statement on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.

The National Trust Group, which will take responsibility for the preservation, has already restored the houses to how they would have looked when the two were growing up. However, English Heritage has decided not to preserve the childhood houses of George Harrison and Ringo Starr.