Former Cavern Club cleaner from Southport rescued original Ringo Starr painting worth £5,000
A former Cavern Club cleaner from Southport rescued a painting of Ringo Starr worth an estimated £5,000 when the club closed down in 1973. In the build up to a special Memorabilia Day at The Beatles Story in Liverpool former cleaner Hal Morris came forward with the painting that was recovered when the club initially shut.
The portrait of Ringo, which hung on the wall of the Cavern Club before its closure was hidden away in a drawer at Hal's home in Ainsdale for more than three decades before it was re-discovered a few months ago. It has been valued at around £5,000 by LA based Julien’s Auctions who are hosting the memorabilia event with The Beatles Story.
The original portrait of the Fab Four drummer deep in thought was painted by artist Pete Williams as he sat next to fellow Beatle John Lennon in the original Cavern Club. While John isn't featured in the painting, there is a rough sketch of him wearing his famous spectacles on the reverse side along with the artist’s signature.
Hal said: “I am absolutely flabbergasted that the painting is worth so much! It was given to me by a builder who was starting to take things down when the Cavern Club closed in March 1973 and it’s been hidden away in a wardrobe at home ever since. He added: “It would have just ended up in a skip and been lost forever if I hadn’t taken it with me that day at the Cavern Club where I used to clean.”
By: Gemma Edwards
Source: Southport Visitor
