The Beatles: Penny Lane sign stolen by students returned after 47 years
- Published
The ex-student who stole the sign says it belongs in Liverpool
A Penny Lane street sign stolen by drunk students has been returned to Liverpool - 47 years after the theft.
The sign was taken in 1976, nine years after the Beatles' single immortalised the road.
Earlier this year, The Beatles Story museum was contacted by an anonymous ex-student who said he wanted to return the "totally pristine" sign.
The man admitted the petty thieves were "worse for wear" when they stole the sign.
He 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.
"Obviously, Liverpool is where the sign should now spend the rest of its days."
The sign is not the only one to have been stolen from the road, in the Mossley Hill area of the city, but museum bosses say it is the oldest one to be returned.
'Let it be...'
Councillor 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 history of this case and the fact this Penny Lane has got back to where it belongs after what looks like a long and winding journey, then I think we can all agree to just let it be."
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram welcomed the sign's return
The sign is on display in the museum on Liverpool's Albert Dock.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said: "Penny Lane is so much more than a simple street that inspired a song all those years ago - it's a music time capsule immortalised by those four boys who shook the world.
"But the true meaning of the song isn't in the street name or sign - it's the sights and characters that Paul McCartney recalled from his time growing up here.
"Penny Lane is in our ears and in our eyes - and this time it's for keeps."
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