Penny Lane, the street that inspired the Beatles , may be getting a name change. Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotherham told Sky News that he will consider renaming the street if the current name's links to slavery are confirmed.
During the various anti-racist protests that have been taking place around the world, the sign indicating Penny Lane was vandalized by activists who argue that the street is named after the 18th-century slave trader, James Penny.
Mayor Rotherham said his team is investigating the possible connection, as studies reveal that the street may have received this name due to a kind of toll that once existed there, leading it to be known as Penny Lane – the word "penny" here referring to the English coin.
The investigation is being conducted by the city council with the support of the Liverpool Slavery Museum, and the mayor said that if they find evidence linking it to James Penny, he will rename the street. “Something will need to be done. That street sign will be in danger, and I imagine we might rename the street,” he said.
No representative from the band or its members has released any statement, and neither Paul McCartney nor Ringo Starr have commented on the incident. Watch Mayor Steve Rotherham's interview below.
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”.
