BIRKENHEAD'S former Majestic Ballroom famous for its ties to The Beatles is due to be sold at auction next month.

Built as a cinema in 1916 and most recently a Chinese restaurant, the property's dance hall and music days gave The Beatles a stage to perform their debut single Love Me Do for the first time.

The fab four returned and played at the venue 17 times in the 1960s.

At one sell-out appearance the crowd was so large that a further two shows had to be arranged to accommodate disappointed fans who had been unable to get tickets.

The venue was also the site of Cilla Black’s first, unsuccessful, audition for Brian Epstein and the backdrop to gigs by the Rolling Stones, the Searchers and many others.

Wirral Globe:

The iconic 10,000 sq ft property is due to go under the hammer at Pugh’s next North West property auction at the AJ Bell Stadium, Manchester on December 5, with a guide price of £175,000.

Pugh managing director Paul Thompson said: “It’s a privilege to be auctioning a property which gained legendary status in a decade that was ground-breaking for the music scene in Liverpool, and when the city was propelled on to the world stage.

“This is an exciting time for Birkenhead, with £1billion of regeneration at key Wirral development sites including Birkenhead town centre announced by the council just last month.

“With the relevant planning consent, the Majestic Ballroom could be redeveloped for a variety of leisure uses as it’s in a great central location, close to the main shopping and entertainment area of town.

"It would be fantastic if we could see the building restored to its former glory.”