The Cavern Club shut its doors for the final time in May 1973 having been the venue for performances from stars such as Gene Vincent, Chuck Berry, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, The Who, Rod Stewart, Queen, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix and, of course, The Beatles.

A Victorian warehouse stood in Mathew Street and the basement was transformed into a jazz club in 1957. In August of the same year a band called the Quarrymen performed at the Cavern but were quickly ordered to stop. The Jazz club was not quite ready for this new style of "rock" music. Four years later, however, the band returned under their new name. A new music craze was sweeping the country and the club owners finally decided to accommodate it. The Beatles would perform a reported 292 times at the club between February 1961 and August 1963.

It was during a lunchtime performance that The Beatles were discovered by Brian Epstein. Other local bands and acts, including cloakroom girl Priscilla White were also discovered.

In 1973 the Club was closed and filled in to accommodate the construction of an underground railway. Excavations in the early 1980's revealed the original brick archways. The bricks were allegedly used in the careful reconstruction of a new Cavern Club - opened in 1984.

Sadly, it is a car park which now represents the actual site of a venue which remains one of the most visited tourist attractions in the city.