Liverpool's The Beatles museum to relocate to 1960s shopping centre

Apple Corps, the multimedia company established by The Beatles in 1968, has announced plans to move The Beatles Story museum from its current location on Liverpool's Royal Albert Dock to a much larger site at St Johns Shopping Centre. This relocation will increase the museum's footprint by over four times, offering approximately 9,300 square metres of space for exhibitions.

The new venue will occupy the former St Johns Market within St Johns Shopping Centre, a building designed by English architect James A Roberts and completed in 1969 opposite Liverpool Lime Street station. This central location is intended to provide an enhanced environment for visitors to explore immersive exhibitions, original artefacts, and reconstructed settings that illustrate the band's journey from local musicians to global icons.

In addition to the museum's expansion, the Grade II-listed Radio City Tower, also known as St Johns Beacon, will be repurposed as a Yellow Submarine-themed observation platform. The 138-metre tower, which previously contained a revolving restaurant and served as a communications hub, will become a standalone attraction offering panoramic views across Liverpool.

This redevelopment aligns with a broader strategy to celebrate Liverpool's musical heritage, a sentiment emphasized by public figures associated with the project. The relocation is scheduled for completion in 2028, coinciding with the release of a forthcoming Beatles movie, thereby creating a synergy between cultural tourism and new Beatles-related media.

Apple Corps will assume ownership of the museum from Mersey Ferrys as part of the transition, overseeing the expansion and ensuring that the attraction remains a definitive destination for Beatles enthusiasts worldwide. The move reflects a significant investment in Liverpool's cultural infrastructure and aims to stimulate local economic growth through increased visitor numbers.

The Beatles Story was originally established on the Royal Albert Dock in 1990, where it attracted millions of visitors over the decades. However, the limited size of that location constrained the ability to present comprehensive exhibitions and interactive experiences. The new site at St Johns Shopping Centre is expected to overcome these limitations by providing a more versatile and expansive setting.

Former band members have reportedly expressed enthusiasm about the museum's transformation. Ringo Starr is noted to have highlighted Liverpool's ongoing identity as a music city, while Paul McCartney reportedly reflected on the project's ability to capture and share The Beatles' story in ways previously unimaginable.

The conversion of Radio City Tower into a themed observation point adds an innovative dimension to the project, leveraging an iconic local landmark to reinforce the Beatles brand. This element of the plan differentiates the attraction from traditional museum formats by combining cultural heritage with experiential tourism.

The project's timing with the Beatles film release suggests coordinated efforts to maximize public interest and media attention. This integrated approach is likely intended to rejuvenate the band's legacy in both cultural and commercial terms.

Some prior proposals for Radio City Tower included a plan to connect it to the Central Library roof by zipwire, a concept that was controversial and has not been pursued in this new development. Instead, the current plans focus on more conventional restoration and repurposing compatible with the site's listed status.

Apple Corps' direct involvement in the museum's future signals a consolidation of control over Beatles-related enterprises, enabling a unified vision for how the band's history and cultural impact are presented to the public.

This expansion is also a statement about Liverpool's capacity to leverage its musical heritage for urban regeneration and tourism enhancement. Political endorsements have framed the project as a model for combining cultural investment with economic development in British cities.

The new Beatles Story museum and Radio City Tower attraction will represent a major addition to Liverpool's cultural offerings, providing deeper engagement with the band's history and a richer visitor experience. With completion targeted for 2028, the project marks a substantial evolution in how The Beatles' legacy is curated and celebrated in their hometown.