The British government has listed Abbey Road, the London crosswalk made famous by the Beatles when they were photographed walking across it for the cover of their 1969 album “Abbey Road” as a protected site.
“This London zebra crossing is no castle or cathedral but, thanks to the Beatles and a 10-minute photo shoot one August morning in 1969, it has just as strong a claim as any to be seen as part of our heritage,” said John Penrose, the U.K.’s minister for tourism and heritage, in a statement today.
The street crossing in the St. John’s Wood neighborhood is the first of its kind ever to be listed as protected. Paul McCartney, who is enjoying renewed interest in the Beatles catalog by iTunes users, and who is also celebrating the reissuing of “Band on the Run,” issued a statement on the matter: “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.”