They were outside a Salvation Army children's home close to where John Lennon grew up and later inspired him to write the song Strawberry Fields Forever.
Now, they've been loaned by the Salvation Army to the award-winning Beatles Story exhibition. It's hoped by placing them with all the other Fab Four memorabilia they will help raise funds for a training hub for people with learning difficulties.
Major Roger Batt told Premier they've actually been in storage since 2011 because they had to be protected from over-zealous fans.
He said: "People were forever taking bits of the gates, they wanted to get close, take photographs. So we wanted to put something in place, replicas that were iconic to the dream of Strawberry Fields, particularly to people who were Beatles fans."
Once built, the redeveloped site will be used as a training hub for people with learning difficulties. It will help give them hands-on experience in things such as waiting on tables in a cafe, farming and horticulture.
But Maj Batt says it's much more than that.
"It's going to be a place of spiritual exploration. People can journey with God through their faith story. The grounds are going to be an inspiration.
"The place is going to give people an opportunity to rest in God and to discover their own faith journey.
"It'll be a fresh expression of Salvation Army Church in that place - predominantly prayer, worship and discipleship at the heart of that."
Earlier this year The Salvation Army unveiled plans for the site, which will include a training and work placement hub for young people with learning disabilities; a new exhibition on the place, the song and John Lennon's early life around Strawberry Field. The vision weaves together educational, cultural, heritage and spiritual exploration in one plan.