Stuart Sutcliffe's Grave at St Michael's, Huyton

Stuart Sutcliffe is buried in the churchyard of St Michael's Church in Huyton, in the Merseyside borough of Knowsley. He played bass with the Beatles in their Hamburg period and died in Hamburg on 10 April 1962, aged 21. His body was brought home to Liverpool, and he lies in a family grave.

Why he is buried in Huyton

Sutcliffe collapsed in Hamburg on 10 April 1962 and died in the ambulance on the way to hospital. The cause was a brain haemorrhage. He was 21. His mother travelled to Hamburg with the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, and returned to Liverpool with his body.

His link to the city began in autumn 1960 at the Kaiserkeller, where Astrid Kirchherr saw the group play; the two soon became a couple.

One burial ground, several names

The place turns up under different names, which can make it hard to find. Wikipedia calls it Huyton Parish Church Cemetery, also known as St Michael's. Find a Grave lists it as the St Michael Churchyard Extension, and the Wikimedia Commons photograph describes the churchyard of St Michael, Huyton. All three point to the burial ground of St Michael's, the Anglican parish church. The map pin marks the church building, not the grave itself.

The headstone

The stone is a black family headstone with gold lettering and a cross panel on each side. Stuart's name comes first, with his dates of birth and death, 23 June 1940 and 10 April 1962, and his age. His parents and his sister are named below him. A small vase block marked "Loving Memories" stands in front.

In 2009 a 61-year-old fan, Colin Unwin, restored the weathered stone and repainted all of the lettering in gold. A later Liverpool Echo story, carried by a Beatles news site, reported the headstone being taken away for restoration again.

The grave sits among other families' plots in a working parish churchyard, so a quiet visit that keeps to the paths is the respectful way to see it.