The road signs for Penny Lane (immortalized in the Beatles' 1967 song) have been hot property for decades. Today, one of the original road signs from the Beatles era in Liverpool has finally arrived home almost 50 years after it was stolen.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region and Mary Chadwick, Manager of The Beatles Story display the refurbished road sign, Liverpool, UK, November 28, 2023.
Liverpool's Beatles Story museum , which describes itself as "the world's largest permanent exhibition purely devoted to telling the story of the lives and times of the Beatles," was contacted earlier this year by a man who described the sign's theft in 1976 by a group of students who were, euphemistically, "worse for wear."
The erstwhile student, who won't reveal his identity, explained to The Beatles Story why he wanted to return the sign to its rightful place:
"Because I am getting on a bit now, I want to return it to the 'Pool, where I spent six very happy years as a student, undergrad then postgrad, including meeting my wife of 44 years. Obviously, Liverpool is where the sign should now spend the rest of its days."
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region holds the returned street sign.
After being informed of the sign's return to The Beatles Story, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram stated:
"Penny Lane is so much more than a simple street that inspired a song all those year ago - it's a music time capsule immortalized by those four boys who shook the world. But the true meaning of the song isn' in the street name or sign – it's the sights and characters that Paul McCartney recalled from his time growing up here. It's the nurse, banker, fireman and barber who all brought the street to life – they are the real treasure of Penny Lane.
"That being said, it's great to see something which holds so much significance finally returned to its rightful home after nearly half a century. Penny Lane is in our ears and in our eyes – and this time it's for keeps."
Mary Chadwick, General Manager of The Beatles Story added:
"After the anonymous gentleman contacted us by email, we agreed to accept the street sign on behalf of the city of Liverpool. We have agreed to work with Liverpool City Council to understand its history and possible value.
"Due to the fame of Penny Lane and its connection with the Beatles song, a number of street signs have been stolen over the years, but as far as I know 1976 is the oldest one that has been returned to the city and we are delighted to be able to include it in our collection here at The Beatles Story!"
The Beatles - Penny Lane
From The Beatles YouTube Channel:
Two days after recording some overdubs for "A Day In The Life", The Beatles spent the afternoon in East London at Angel Lane, Stratford, filming scenes for the video of "Penny Lane" with Scandinavian director, Peter Goldmann.
Shortly after the East London shoot, Goldmann and The Beatles headed to Knole Park, the grounds of a stately home in Kent, to film scenes of the band horse-riding in the countryside. Around this time, Goldmann and his crew (but minus The Beatles) traveled to Liverpool to shoot the sequences near to Penny Lane.
