The ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ singer called neighbour Paul on his birthday, and put Sylvia Hall on the line
Sylvia Hall with Jon Bon Jovi in 2019(Image: Supplied)
A former teacher who looked after Sir Paul McCartney’s childhood home for a decade finally got to speak to the Liverpool superstar on his birthday when Jon Bon Jovi arrived at the house and asked for a tour. The “Livin’ on a Prayer” singer arrived at Forthlin Road, Allerton, ahead of his performance at Anfield in 2019, and was shown around by Sylvia Hall, custodian of the former council house from 2010 to 2021.
Sylvia, 77, has now written her first play, Julia’s Song, about the life of Julia Lennon, John’s mum, to be performed at the Epstein Theatre in September.
She told the ECHO: “At Forthlin Road, we played host to a lot of famous people. The last person I showed round before retiring was Jon Bon Jovi. The guide who takes VIPs round Liverpool was locking up, came to the door, and asked if I had time to show someone round. When he told me it was Jon Bon Jovi, I said, ‘Yeah, sure’. He was absolutely lovely.
“After I’d shown him round and we’d shared stories about the family, Jon pulled out his phone and asked, ‘Do you mind if I ring Paul? It’s his birthday.’
“He said they have houses near each other in the Hamptons. He got through to Paul straight away, and said ‘Happy birthday, mate’. He thought ‘mate’ was very English. Then he handed the phone to me and asked if I wanted to say ‘happy birthday’ to Paul.
Playwright and writer Sylvia Hall pictured outside Paul McCartney’s childhood home in Liverpool(Image: Liverpool Echo)
“Then he said to Paul, ‘You’ll never guess where I am. I’m in your old sitting room, your parlour, with Sylvia, who has been showing me around’.”
Sylvia had shown several stars around the house over the years, including musicians James Taylor and Judy Collins, as well as May Pang and Yoko Ono when she was at Mendips. She said: “When stars visited the house, they were all respectful and enthralled. They wanted to know about the early family stories, what records Paul listened to, and the first record he bought.”
She also worked with Sir Paul’s brother Mike McCartney, who recalled stories about the family that she has shared with thousands of visitors down the years. She said: “Mike McCartney was great because he could tell me private stories about the family around the piano and how they loved to sing, particularly at New Year. His dad, Jim, would play the piano, and if you wanted a request, you put half a pint of beer on top of the piano.
“Mike said his dad could play anything and had little sayings like, ‘Put it there if it weighs a ton’, whenever they were worried about something.
“He also told me about his mum. She was a nurse and was always calm. If anything was wrong or they had a problem, she would say, ‘Never mind, let it be’. Of course, that became the song.”
Sir Paul McCartney’s brother Mike McCartney visits their old family home on Forthlin Road, in Allerton in 2022(Image: Mirrorpix)
Sylvia also cleaned the house, cleaning around Jim’s pipe, and tended to the garden, where she would hang period-appropriate laundry on the line. She said: “Mike used to say ‘Don’t bother too much with dusting, because we didn’t bother too much after Mum died’.”
Sylvia added: “Mike told us stories about Paul coming home late, climbing up the drainpipe, and squeezing through the bathroom window. When the police training college was at the back, they used to sit in Mike’s bedroom window at the rear of the house and watch the police dog displays.”
While at the house, Sylvia collected items to bring the home to life. A local man donated the first guitar Paul played, and she found the same type of headphones Paul would use to listen to Radio Luxembourg late at night.
She said: “You got your energy back from the visitors’ enthusiasm. American visitors used to ask where the refrigerator was, and I’d explain that nobody had refrigerators back then, you left the milk on the doorstep and hoped it didn’t go sour in the summer. That was hard for Americans to grasp.
“Many visitors were also surprised because they assumed Paul was the middle-class one, when in fact John lived at Mendips and Paul’s family lived in a council house.”
Playwright and writer Sylvia Hall pictured outside Paul McCartney’s childhood home in Liverpool(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Sylvia added: “It was a very solid, caring family home. Mary would whistle and sing around the house. Mike mentioned that Paul would never have been allowed to go to Hamburg if his mum had been alive.
“She had great ambitions for him. Paul went to grammar school, and Mike followed, and she wanted him to be a doctor, a lawyer, or a teacher.”
Sylvia said: “Amazingly, the first song Paul wrote in his bedroom at Forthlin Road was ‘I Lost My Little Girl’. Almost at the exact same time, before they even knew each other, John Lennon had written ‘Hello Little Girl’ at Mendips.”
Inspired by her experiences at Mendips and Forthlin Road, Sylvia has written a play about Julia Lennon, Julia’s Song, to be performed at the Epstein Theatre on September 10, 11 and 12. She said: “I wanted to put Julia centre stage, reclaim her, and show how she inspired John’s music. She taught him banjo and guitar, encouraged him, and bought him his first guitar.”