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THE Liverpool homes where John Lennon and Paul McCartney grew up and penned some of The Beatles earliest hits were today given listed status by the government.

Heritage and Tourism Minister John Penrose announced the Grade II listing honour for 20 Forthlin Road and 251 Menlove Avenue when he paid a visit to the latter – the home John Lennon shared with his Aunt Mimi from the age of five – this morning.

Places I remember: See our interactive Google Earth guide to Beatles locations

Applications to officially list the boyhood homes of George Harrison and Ringo Starr were unsuccessful however, being turned down on the grounds the buildings had been altered and modernised too much and had little association with the group’s early development.

Meanwhile a request to list the gate piers and (replica) gates at Strawberry Field children’s home was also turned down.

Mr Penrose said: “It’s almost impossible to overestimate the significance the Beatles had – and continue to have -– on western life and culture since they first came together in the early 1960s.

“These houses, unremarkable from the outside, have been painstakingly preserved and restored so visitors today can get a real sense of how life must have been for the group as they were starting up.

“They certainly merit the extra protection from demolition and development that listing provides and will I hope continue to be places of pilgrimage for Beatles fans, young and old, for many years to come.”

The Grade II status was given to the semi-detached and terraced home on the advice of English Heritage.

Both Mendips and Forthlin Road are owned and managed by the National Trust, while the applications for listed status came from SAVE Britain's Heritage.

Emily Gee, head of designation at English Heritage, said: “We’re delighted the Minister has listed these two evocative houses where Lennon and McCartney developed their talents and created The Beatles.

“Listing celebrates special interest and in the case of Mendips and 20 Forthlin Road they possess extraordinary historic and cultural interest for their strong connections with these renowned British musicians.”

The young Lennon and McCartney wrote and rehearsed many of the Beatles’ early songs at the two houses, including the band’s first number one Please, Please Me.