A club in Liverpool where The Beatles played their first ever gig has been given Grade II listed building status. The Casbah Coffee Club was set up in the basement of the home of original Beatles drummer Pete Best, and John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison played there in August 1959 as The Quarrymen. Best soon joined the band, which became The Silver Beatles, and they performed there on many occasions until it closed in 1962. Despite its closure, the cellar club was preserved and still contains murals by the band and Lennon's then wife Cynthia.
Confirming that the building was being awarded Grade II status, UK Culture Minister David Lammy told reporters: "It is absolutely right that the club where the group first learnt their craft should be badged as an important part of our heritage, and receive the extra protection from harmful redevelopment that listed building status affords".
Bob Hawkins, of English Heritage, added: "The basement rooms are historically significant because they represent tangible evidence of The Beatles' formation, their growth in popularity and their enduring cultural influence. The club survives in a remarkably well-preserved condition since its closure in 1962, with wall and ceiling paintings of spiders, dragons, rainbows and stars by original band members along with 1960s musical equipment, amplifiers and original chairs. We know of no other survival like it in Liverpool or indeed anywhere else."