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Beatles to open first London museum on site of last gig / Photo: © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Beatles to open first London museum on site of last gig
The Beatles' first official London museum is set to open next year in the Mayfair building where the band recorded its final album and played its last gig, Paul McCartney announced Monday.
The attraction -- "The Beatles at 3 Savile Row" -- will feature seven floors of never-seen-before archive material and a recreated basement studio where the Fab Four recorded their 1970 "Let It Be" album.
Visitors to the venue on the upmarket central London block -- better known globally for its traditional bespoke tailors -- will also get access to its rooftop where the band staged an iconic performance in 1969.
"Tourists come to England and they can go to Abbey Road, but they can't go inside... so I thought this was a terrific idea," McCartney told the BBC.
The 83-year-old pop legend said it stemmed from efforts by Apple Corps -- the company which has overseen the band's business interests since 1968 -- to reexamine "what the Beatles mean, and what people want these days from us".
The company previously owned the Savile Row building for eight years from 1968 and it served as the band's headquarters for two years prior to their 1970 break-up and for business purposes afterwards.
"We're thrilled to bring Apple Corps back to its spiritual home and give The Beatles fans something truly special," its CEO Tom Greene said in a statement.
"Every single day, fans are taking pictures of the outside of 3 Savile Row, he added.
"But next year they can go in and explore all seven floors of the iconic building, including the rooftop where even the railings remain the same from that famous day in 1969."
Footage of the famous January 30, 1969, concert -- the last time anyone saw the Fab Four perform publicly -- was recently restored and included in Peter Jackson's "Get Back" documentary about the band.
Speaking to the BBC, McCartney said visitors will ascend the Savile Row building and see "various things" including memorabilia before they can "pretend to be a Beatle" on the roof.
It will also feature rotating exhibitions and a fan store, according to Apple Corps.
"There are so many special memories within the walls, not to mention the rooftop," McCartney added in the official statement.
Ringo Starr, 85, the only other living Beatle, called the exhibition "like coming home".
Apple Corps promised further details about it, and a second experience currently in development, in "due course".
In the meantime fans can register for tickets on the band's website.
The band's hometown of Liverpool, in northwest England, already boasts two attractions -- Liverpool Beatles Museum and The Beatles Story -- but neither are officially licensed by Apple Corps.
L. de Freitas--JDB
