Recently, the street sign for Penny Lane in Liverpool was vandalized by protesters who believed the street was named after the slave trader James Penny.
The street served as inspiration for the Beatles , released in 1967, and now, after extensive research, historian Ronald MacDonald has confirmed that there is no connection whatsoever to the slave owner, relieving fans of the band.
According to him, James Penny had a street named after him in Ulverston, Cumbria, before his death in 1799. The Liverpool street, however, only became known to residents as Pennies Lane in 1840.
Richard also comments on his surprise at the media attention given the subject, considering he has been studying the origins of streets for over a decade: “We are not used to the media's interest in street names (…) It's not something that easily makes it into the news.”
Penny Lane was mentioned in an exhibition at the International Slavery Museum for its alleged connection to James Penny. Now, the museum has announced that it has removed the location from its history: “This will be a relief for Beatles fans and the local tourism sector, but it also means that the Slavery Museum can continue the excellent work they do to educate, inform and help us learn from history.”
The true origin of the name remains a mystery, however, according to the city's mayor, Steve Rotherham , studies reveal that the street may have received this name due to a kind of toll that existed there in the past, leading it to be known as Penny Lane – the word "penny" here referring to the English coin.
Beatles song
“Penny Lane”, one of the Beatles' greatest classics, was released in 1967 with the single “Strawberry Fields Forever”, a song also inspired by the city, this time a Salvation Army orphanage located near the home of John Lennon , co-writer of the track alongside McCartney. The duo was also responsible for composing “Penny Lane”.
