Julia Lennon's Grave at Allerton Cemetery, Liverpool

John Lennon's mother, Julia Lennon, is buried in Allerton Cemetery in south Liverpool, in grave CE 38-805. She died on 15 July 1958, aged 44, after a car hit her on Menlove Avenue. For many years the grave had no marker. Her family later put up a small headstone that bears the names of her four children.

Who is buried here

Julia Lennon, born Julia Stanley on 12 March 1914, was John Lennon's mother. On the evening of 15 July 1958 she was crossing Menlove Avenue, close to her sister Mimi's house, when a car driven by an off-duty police officer struck and killed her. John was 17. He could not face seeing her body at the hospital, and during the funeral service he rested his head in Mimi's lap. Her two younger daughters, Julia and Jackie, had been sent to relatives in Edinburgh. They were not allowed to go to the funeral and were only told of her death two months later.

Julia had taught John banjo and ukulele chords and bought him his first guitar. He later wrote about her in "Julia" (1968) and "Mother" (1970), and he named his first son Julian after her.

An unmarked grave, then a headstone

She was buried at Allerton Cemetery. For decades the grave had no marker, and the family lost track of where it was until it was identified as plot CE (Church of England) 38-805. According to The Tombstone Tourist, her daughter Jackie made the identification. A wooden cross marked the place for some years before the family provided a headstone.

The stone is small. It reads "Mummy" and then four names: John, Victoria, Julia, Jackie. Victoria was the daughter Julia gave birth to in 1945, who was adopted and grew up in Norway as Ingrid Pedersen. John searched for her but they never met. Julia and Jackie were her daughters with John Dykins.

One memorial firm's page dates the headstone to 2010. That page also gets the year of Julia's death wrong, so treat the 2010 date with caution.

Finding the plot

Allerton Cemetery covers 150 acres. It is Grade II listed, has taken burials since 1909 and is still in use. The plot number appears in two forms, CE 38-805 and section CH 38, lot 805. The Tombstone Tourist's directions say to enter from Woolton Road and head straight across the grounds for about a mile, passing the chapel and roundabouts. Stop opposite the point where sections CH 36, 37, 38 and 39 meet. The grave is about 50 feet from the road, beside a large black memorial to George Ray. Visitors describe the stone as easy to miss.

John Lennon is not buried here

A local story claims John Lennon's ashes were placed on his mother's grave. Nothing supports it. He was cremated at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, in December 1980, and his ashes were given to Yoko Ono. Their location has never been confirmed. The John Lennon grave page sets out what is known.

St Peter's Church, Woolton, where John met Paul McCartney, is about 1.7 km from the grave, and Mendips, where he grew up with Mimi, is about 2 km away.