Stolen Beatles sign returned after 47 years - and will be on show at museum

29 November 2023 , 18:42

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Mayor Steve Rotheram with the sign (Image: PA)

A Penny Lane street sign stolen by drunken students has been returned, almost 50 years after it was taken.

The sign disappeared in 1976 – nine years after the Liverpool road was immortalised in the Beatles’ song of the same name. It found its way home after an anonymous man contacted The Beatles Story museum to say he wanted to give it back.

The former student, who described the thieves as “worse for wear” when they pinched the sign, said: “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. Liverpool is where the sign should spend the rest of its days.”

Bill Carrington holds the sign made famous by The Beatles (Daily Mirror)

The sign is not the only one to have been stolen from the road, in the city’s Mossley Hill area, but it is certainly the oldest. Cllr Dan Barrington, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “The removal of street signs is a criminal offence which can lead to a prison sentence.

“However, given the fact this Penny Lane has got back to where it belongs after a long and winding journey, then I think we can all agree to just let it be.” The sign will now go on display at the museum, in Liverpool’s Albert Dock. Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, added: “Penny Lane is so much more than a simple street that inspired a song.

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“But the true meaning isn’t in the street name or sign – it’s the sights and characters Paul McCartney recalled from growing up here. It’s the nurse, banker, fireman and barber who all brought the street to life – they are the real treasures of Penny Lane.”

Stephen White