John Lennon: Imagine mosaic unveiled at Strawberry Field

Major Kathleen Versfeld (right) said it was "a beautiful new addition" to the Strawberry Field site

A mosaic inspired by John Lennon has been unveiled as the centrepiece of a new bandstand on a site that inspired a much-loved Beatles song.

The Imagine mosaic has been laid at Strawberry Field in Woolton, Liverpool, which gave its name to the band's 1967 single Strawberry Fields Forever.

It was inspired by the memorial to Lennon which was laid in New York's Central Park in 1985.

The site's mission director said it was "a message of peace and hope".

Major Kathleen Versfeld, who has responsibility for the Salvation Army site, added that the mosaic was "a culmination of hard work and dedication by so many creative people from across the globe".

Strawberry Field inspired The Beatles' 1967 single, Strawberry Fields Forever, which reached number two in the UK charts

The mosaic was inspired by a similar memorial in New York, which was laid where Yoko Ono scattered John Lennon's ashes

Lennon spent his childhood in nearby Menlove Avenue and as a young boy, he played in the grounds of Strawberry Field, which was then a children's home.

Strawberry Fields Forever, which appeared on The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour album, was based on his memories of the site.

After he was killed in New York in 1980, a garden in the shape of a teardrop was built in Central Park in New York on the site where his widow Yoko Ono scattered his ashes.

The garden, which was named Strawberry Fields, was opened by Ono in 1985 and included the original Imagine mosaic, which was inspired by Lennon's 1971 single and album.

The mosaic has been laid on the floor of the new bandstand, the design of which was inspired by a Beatles album cover

Strawberry Field has long been a place of pilgrimage for Beatles fans

The Liverpool site, which remains in Salvation Army ownership, now features an exhibition which tells the story of Lennon's life.

The new mosaic, which measures about 21ft (6.4m) in diameter, has been created from 390,000 black and white Italian marble tiles and took four artists over 15 weeks to lay.

The bandstand which houses it has been built in a design based on the drum which featured on the cover of The Beatles' 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Mjr Versfeld said it was "a beautiful new addition to our attraction" and would open to the public later in the year.