Sleep over at George Best’s Childhood home.
On my most recent trip to Belfast I always look for interesting and quirky places to stay, particularly if there is an element of a real life story ,and when I found out you could book an overnight at 16 Burren Way, the childhood home of football superstar George Best I was all in, in fact in the end this trip took nearly a year to book as the demand to stay here is so high. Burren Way was the childhood home of George Best, he lived here from 1949 until 1961 when he left Belfast to join Manchester United as an amateur player.
The rest as they say is history…
The house was built by Belfast Corporation after World War 2 and George’s family were some of the first to move on to The Credagh Estage in East Belfast. When I arrived I felt immediately at home, brought up myself in and around a plethora of council houses, the dimensions, lay out and feeling was instantly recognisable of my grandparents homes. The house has been “retro restored” by The Eastside Partnership to take the house back to how it would have looked in around 1961. They have got the look and the feel just right, but not forgetting modern features for the current traveller with wifi internet and a discreet flat screen tv. The facilities are functional and practical with the original toilet and bathroom still in situ. It was a nice touch that the tiles in the bathroom were the originals added to the space by George’s mother Anne. Don’t expect lots of original features, George’s Dad Dickie lived in the house until 2008 so there had been some modernisation, this has been removed but there are some original family items left here such as a horse on the fireplace and the oven in the kitchen. For die hard fans there are piles of books about George, his career and Manchester United. There are also some personal touches such as copies of Georges school reports and letters home, George who was notoriously homesick returned to Burren Way throughout his career and his funeral corsage left the house in 2005.
People were quite surprised when I said I had booked to stay, “football” and “Lucy” are like oil and water, but I am always interested in stories and love to see the stories of how people from humble beginnings can change their lives through talent and determination. The historian in me is always attracted by anywhere that offers letters and documents to nose through. If like me you visit with more curiosity rather than knowledge there are audio guides that you can use at your leisure during your stay to take a “tour” of the accommodation narrated by George’s niece from the words of his sister Barbara. As someone that spent their childhood trying to earwig (or “ear’ole as they say in Birmingham) on adult conversations this was a great addition.
The location is still firmly fixed as a residential estate but we were made to feel incredibly welcome and there is a great SPAR supermarket, chip shop and pharmacy just around the corner from the house. To get into Belfast it’s a short bus journey (The number 6A bus goes right to Queens Square). The location although not central is convenient, and I always prefer to stay off the beaten track. At the time of writing I paid £279 for a two night stay. The house sleeps up to 5 adults in comfortable beds and if you are driving there is on road parking outside.
The house is available to book through www.georgebesthouse.com for overnight stays and guided tours.
For my stay in the house including a tour you can watch my video on You Tube here
