An extensive and personal collection of Beatles memorabilia is kept inside the building
12:07, 16 Jul 2025Updated 12:44, 16 Jul 2025
A fire caused damaged to one side of The Beatles Museum door
Liverpool Beatles Museum staff say they were ‘lucky’ after fire caught hold of a famous spot outside the Mathew Street attraction. The popular city centre tourist attraction is owned and run by Roag Best, brother of the ‘fifth Beatle’ Pete Best.
The extensive and personal collection that lies inside is thanks to Roag’s close family ties to the Fab Four, while also being a memorabilia collector in his own right for more than 30 years. The museum features more than 300 rare and authentic items across three floors. It follows the iconic band on their journey from their early days at the Casbah Coffee Club to their final days together.
According to Liverpool Beatles Museum’s social media post, a bin that was located close to Rubber Soul bar was tipped over and set on fire over the weekend. The fire is understood to have then taken hold of a section of the museum’s recognisable red doors, resulting in a 5am wake-up call for the team.
The team said that “due to the diligence” of city watch, Merseyside Police, and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, the fire was quickly extinguished.
The condition of the door on Wednesday, July 16 morning
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police told the ECHO: “We can confirm that a man has been charged following a suspected arson in Liverpool city centre.
“At around 4am on Monday, July 14, it was reported that someone had started a fire on Mathew Street.
“Officers on patrol attempted to distinguish the flames before Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) attended and they were able to put it out. The fire caused damage to the front of a building.
“Following inquiries, Daniel Byrne, 38, of no fixed abode, was arrested nearby and subsequently charged with arson. He has been remanded into custody to next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday 12 August.”
The Liverpool ECHO has approached the fire service for comment.
The team added: “Luckily, due to our doors being hardwood, we have suffered no more than some paint coming off and a sign that has melted. We were lucky, as was Mathew Street. So business as usual.”
The Liverpool ECHO also reached out to Liverpool City Council for comment. The City Watch scheme mentioned uses 471 camera to “prevent, deter and detect crimes, and improve public safety and reassurance”.
Cameras are monitored all year round by council staff and police officers who work in a partnership established under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
The second floor celebrates technicolour(Image: Elle May Rice)
When the ECHO last visited the Mathew Street museum, it found that the five-floor building houses rare items, including ones that very few people know about, with three of the floors dedicated to a different period in Beatles history.
The first floor tells the story of the beginning of the band that shook the world, from 1959 to 1962. The entire floor is decorated in black and white, in homage to all the photographs of the band at this time.
The first floor is filled with priceless artefacts from The Beatles’ very beginnings, including Pete Best’s drums, the first ever posters for The Quarrymen and even never-before-seen outfits that the band wore. It follows the band on their journey to Hamburg, including Pete and Paul McCartney’s run-in with the German authorities.
The first floor is entirely black and white(Image: Elle May Rice)
The floor finishes with Brian Epstein’s entry into The Beatles’ lives and an screening of the first footage ever recorded of the band. Up the staircase lies the second floor, which holds the key to Beatles’ secrets from 1963-66.
The floor is dedicated to the introduction of technicolour, a stark difference from the monotone décor of the floor below. The second floor sees The Beatles truly come into their own, with the beginning of Beatlemania and recordings at Abbey Road Studios. Huge tours begin for The Beatles on the second floor, with many of the items on show having been brought back by the band themselves.
Items from tours to the USA, Japan, Austria, Spain and many more are included, and even original props from The Beatles films such as A Hard Day’s Night and Help.
The third and final floor, explores 1967-70 and The Beatles’ psychedelic era. Heading up the stairs to the third floor you will find an enormous white piano. The walls upstairs are stark white, making way for the array of colours displayed by the bright projections on the walls.