St Johns Liverpool to open ‘Beatles Story’ experience
Apple Corps Ltd, Liverpool City Council, and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority have announced plans to deliver a new 100,000 sq ft immersive tourist experience “The Beatles Story” at St Johns shopping centre.
With support from central government, the plans will look to deliver a major global attraction in the city centre by repurposing the former St Johns’ market hall – part of St Johns Shopping Centre. In addition, Liverpool’s Beacon Tower will house a Yellow Submarine-themed experience with views across the city.
The Beatles Story will deliver a multi-hour experience, during which visitors will journey through the world that created the legendary band. Fans will be able to step inside recreations of some of the most iconic locations and moments in Beatles history, including The Cavern, Abbey Road, Shea Stadium, and Savile Row, several of which have been recreated using sets and props from the forthcoming Four Film Cinematic Event.
The St Johns Beacon Yellow Submarine themed experience will also look to give fans the opportunity to enjoy a panoramic 360-degree view of Liverpool, taking in landmarks and key locations.
The arrival of The Beatles Story follows an extensive programme of refurbishment and repurposing by Veld Capital and RivingtonHark, aimed at providing a successful, convenience-led mixed use destination at St Johns. The centre comprises 540,000 sq ft of retail, gym, leisure and F&B space, a 625-space car park, and a Holiday Inn.
Neil Ashcroft, centre director at St Johns, said: “The repurposing of the St John’s market hall into the Beatles Story and the Yellow Submarine experience occupying the iconic St John’s Beacon will be game changing for this important part of the city. Located in the heart of Liverpool city centre, these major global attractions will bring in visitors from around the world eager to learn about one of our greatest exports.
“We look forward to working closely with the team behind the Beatles Story as these plans progress.”
Tom Greene, CEO at Apple Corps, added: “Liverpool birthed the greatest band in history and today we are announcing a new experience in the city that does justice to that legacy. Just like Graceland or Dollywood, it’s fitting that The Beatles will have a world class destination for fans to visit in the centre of the city where the story started. It marks a new chapter in Apple Corp’s history and we can’t wait for people to see what we’ve been working on.”