12:51pm UK, Wednesday December 22, 2010
A zebra crossing in London that became a Mecca for Beatles fans after it featured on one of their album covers has been given "listed" status.
The pedestrian crossing outside the Abbey Road Studios now has 'listed' status
Thousands of people, including other bands, have recreated the photograph of the Fab Four walking across Abbey Road more than 40 years ago.
Now the site has been given Grade II status by the heritage minister John Penrose - a status normally given to buildings.
The crossing is outside the world-famous Abbey Road studios where Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr recorded much of estheir music.
Sir Paul welcomed the news, saying: "It's been a great year for me and a great year for The Beatles and hearing that the Abbey Road crossing is to be preserved is the icing on the cake."
Mr Penrose said: "It is a fantastic testimony to the international fame of The Beatles that - more than 40 years on - this crossing continues to attract thousands of visitors each year, trying to mimic their iconic Abbey Road album cover."
The 1969 album was the last to be completed by The Beatles, although the earlier recorded Let It Be was actually the last to be issued.
The now iconic photo was used as the cover for their Abbey Road album
The photo has become the subject of many conspiracy theories, including one that Sir Paul had been killed and his place in the group had been taken by a doppelganger.
The appearance of the four bandmates was said to resemble a funeral procession.
Sir Paul is barefoot in the photo - as a corpse would be - and a number plate on a VW Beatle includes the configuration "28IF".
Conspiracists said this referred to Sir Paul being 28 if he had lived until the release of the album - even though he would actually have been 27.
On the 40th anniversary of the photoshoot on August 8 last year hundreds of people relived the moment, causing traffic chaos in the area.
Roger Bowdler, head of designation at English Heritage, said: "This is obviously an unusual case, and although a modest structure, the crossing has international renown and continues to possess huge cultural pull - the temptation to recreate that iconic 1969 album cover remains as strong as ever."
