The National Trust is advertising for a new custodian for the childhood home of Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney.
The once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity has arisen as current custodian Sylvia Hall is set to retire after seven years in the role.
The hunt is now on for someone to take over the care of 20 Forthlin Road, and act as a guide for the thousands of people who visit the South Liverpool property every year.
Simon Osborne, General Manager of the National Trust’s Liverpool properties said: “It’s very sad to see Sylvia go, she’s been such a brilliant representative for the National Trust, and has welcomed hundreds of thousands of people through the house,
“She is only the second person to look after Forthlin Road in all the years the Trust has owned it, so these jobs don’t come up very often.”
The National Trust also owns John Lennon’s childhood home, Mendips – where Sylvia’s husband Colin, is custodian.
Located in Allerton, the former home of the music legend has been carefully preserved and presented as it would have been when the McCartney family lived there in the 1950s and 60s, when many of the Beatles’ earliest songs were composed and rehearsed.
The National Trust runs limited tours on a seasonal basis, giving more than 12,500 fans a year the chance to step inside the properties.
And it will be part of the custodian’s role to bring the house to life, enthralling visitors with stories about what life was like growing up in the McCartney household.
Simon explained: “The stories that we share at Forthlin Road are about the formative years of Paul McCartney ... in fact we don’t talk very much about him as a Beatle, because when he left Forthlin Road to go to Hamburg – that was the start of him reaching fame and fortune, so it doesn’t really relate to his time at Forthlin.
“We talk about his formative years, and about his brother Mike, and what life was like living there with Mary and Jim as supportive parents, and how Jim nurtured the natural musical talent that Paul had, and Mike’s photographic talents.”
As well as leading tours around the home, the custodian will also be responsible for the day-to-day care of the property – keeping the garden tidy, and doing some light housework.
Simon continued: “We’re looking for a great communicator, who in just 40 minutes – which is how long the tours last – can really enthuse visitors, and pass on the authentic stories that we’re sharing.
“And it goes a little further than that. They have to be a good neighbour, to make sure the way we run our tours doesn’t disrupt the day-to-day lives of other residents. They have to be diplomatic, quite resilient – it’s quite a challenging job running four tours a day, five days a week – and have excellent customer service skills.”
And you don’t have to be a Beatles fan to apply.
Simon said: “What is not a prerequisite is an in depth knowledge of the Beatles. The stories we relay we can teach, the facts we can teach, what we really need is the ability to share that knowledge – someone who grabs you, so that you hang on every single word.
“For the right person, it’s a brilliant job.”
The new custodian will start in mid-April, initially working alongside Sylvia who will then pass the keys over.
Simon continued: “We really want to congratulate and celebrate Sylvia’s hard work. We are very sad to see her go.”
For more details about the job and how to apply, visit careers.nationaltrust.org.uk. Closing date is Friday, February 28.
