This week marks what would have been the 80th birthday of Beatles legend John Lennon.

The late singer-songwriter visited Carlisle on two occasions during 1963; the year before the group conquered America, with his famous band-mates Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

The band played the Carlisle ABC Cinema stage, which was a venue more suited perhaps to showing films such as that year’s Lawrence of Arabia starring Peter O’Toole.

A host of readers got in touch to tell us their own stories of that night, sending in pictures and anecdotes of a historic evening at Carlisle ABC.

Reader Roy Layton Gadsby told us of his mother's meeting backstage with The Beatles: "My mum met them back stage and mentioned one was a bit spotty! My mother wondered if the the audience could hear the music as the screaming was horrendous. I often wondered if my mother got autographs for my teenage sister but somehow believe after having been so near, she never did."

Facebook user Kathleen Lawson also recounted the time she witnessed the foursome be turfed out of a Carlisle hotel. She told us: "I was having drinks in the bar up stairs in Crown & Mitre hotel where the Beatles were staying. As they came into the bar they were asked to leave because they were not dressed in smart jackets & tie, but had leather bomber jackets on with open neck shirts."

Fellow facebook user Kathleen Lowes agreed that the mania that the group became famous for was in full voice in Carlisle simply saying: "I couldn't hear a word of the songs for screams but it's still great to remember."

They triumphantly returned to Carlisle later that year as chart-toppers to play the ABC Cinema. By then their fame had grown so much they had to be smuggled out of the cinema in a post office van by a local sergeant dressed as a postman. These memories demonstrate the rise of band that went on from humble beginnings in the north to world chart domination.