John Lennon Memorials
Tom Murphy's bronze John Lennon statue on the upper floor of the terminal at Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Photo: Rodhullandemu, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

John Lennon Statue at Liverpool John Lennon Airport

Liverpool, United Kingdom

Tom Murphy's bronze John Lennon, about 2.1 m tall, stands above the check-in hall at Liverpool John Lennon Airport in Speke and was unveiled by Yoko Ono and Cherie Booth QC on 15 March 2002.

The John Lennon statue at Liverpool John Lennon Airport is a bronze by Liverpool sculptor Tom Murphy, about 2.1 m (7 ft) tall, standing above the check-in hall in the Speke terminal. Yoko Ono and Cherie Booth QC unveiled it on 15 March 2002 to mark the airport's official naming after Lennon.

A statue for an airport's new name

The airport's plan to take Lennon's name was announced on 2 July 2001. The formal naming came the following spring, and the statue was part of it: the plaque at its feet says it was unveiled on 15 March 2002 "to mark the official naming of Liverpool John Lennon Airport". That two-step timeline explains why some references say the airport was renamed in 2001 and others say 2002.

Yoko Ono and Cherie Booth QC did the unveiling. Ono said the figure caught Lennon in motion instead of standing still. The airport also uses one of Lennon's self-portrait drawings as its logo, and its motto, a line from Imagine, is painted on the terminal roof and repeated on the statue's plaque.

Murphy's pose

Tom Murphy said he went through many photographs of Lennon and picked a stance he considered typical of him, which he described as a Liverpool swagger. So Lennon is caught mid-stride, not posed for a formal portrait. At about 7 ft it is larger than life, and it stands above the check-in hall; a 2017 photograph shows it on the terminal's upper floor. The plaque also gives Lennon's dates, 1940 to 1980, and ends with "Sculpted by Tom Murphy".

Murphy went on to make other Liverpool bronzes, including Billy Fury at Albert Dock (2003) and Ken Dodd with Bessie Braddock at Lime Street Station (2009).

Is there a John Lennon bridge?

We found no bridge in Liverpool named after John Lennon, and an OpenStreetMap search for one returns nothing. What Liverpool did name after him is this airport, which is probably why "john lennon bridge" and "named after" searches end up here. If you want the Lennon statue in the city centre, that is a different work: David Webster's 1997 figure leaning on the Cavern Wall of Fame, described on our Mathew Street statue page, about 11.7 km away in a straight line.

The submarine outside

Before you go into the terminal you pass the airport's other Beatles piece, the steel Yellow Submarine, which has stood at the entrance since 2005. Arriva bus 500 links the airport stops with Liverpool city centre.

Common misconceptions

  • ClaimLiverpool has a John Lennon Bridge with a Lennon statue.

    RecordNo bridge named after Lennon was found in Liverpool. The place named after him is Liverpool John Lennon Airport, and the statue people find is Tom Murphy's bronze inside its terminal.

    Why the mix-upNot established by any source. Searches pair 'John Lennon' with 'named after' and 'statue'; the airport is the best-known Liverpool site named after him and has a statue.

  • ClaimThe airport statue is the John Lennon statue on Mathew Street.

    RecordThey are separate works: David Webster's 1997 Lennon leans on the Cavern Wall of Fame in the city centre; Murphy's 2002 figure is in the Speke terminal, about 11.7 km away.

    Why the mix-upBoth are bronze Lennons in Liverpool, and the sculptor's airport page ranks for 'john lennon statue liverpool'.

  • ClaimThe airport was renamed after Lennon in 2001.

    RecordThe renaming was announced on 2 July 2001; the plaque says the statue marked the official naming on 15 March 2002.

    Why the mix-upReference works give the announcement year, the plaque and 2002 reports give the formal naming.

Inscription

John Lennon / 1940 - 1980 / Unveiled by Yoko Ono and Cherie Booth Q.C. on 15th March 2002 / To mark the official naming of Liverpool John Lennon Airport / Sculpted by Tom Murphy

Getting there

Bus stops 1-5 are outside the terminal; OpenStreetMap lists Arriva route 500 via Liverpool city centre, plus 81A (Bootle), 89 (St Helens) and 3a (Wilson Road).

Nearby

Sources

  1. Tom Murphy. John Lennon: Tom Murphy, Liverpool Sculptor. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  2. Wikimedia Commons. John Lennon plaque, Liverpool Airport (photo, 2017). Accessed 13 September 2026.
  3. Wikipedia. Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  4. Showbiz Cheat Sheet. On This Day: John Lennon Statue Unveiled at Liverpool Airport on March 15, 2002. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  5. Airways Magazine. Speke Renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  6. Wikipedia. Tom Murphy (artist). Accessed 13 September 2026.
  7. Wikipedia. Yellow Submarine (sculpture). Accessed 13 September 2026.
  8. Wikipedia. List of public art in Liverpool. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  9. Geograph Britain and Ireland. 'Above us only sky' John Lennon Statue, Liverpool Airport. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  10. The Ritchie Yorke Project. Liverpool Airport Becomes Liverpool John Lennon International Airport. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  11. OpenStreetMap. Liverpool John Lennon Airport bus stops and routes. Accessed 13 September 2026.
  12. Wikimedia Commons. John Lennon statue, Liverpool Airport (photo, 2017). Accessed 13 September 2026.

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