The Beatles' Abbey Road Crosswalk Finally Got Repainted in London Thanks to Coronavirus
Published Mar 27, 2020
Abbey Road, the famous crosswalk that appeared on the Beatles' album of the same name, has finally received a much-needed paint job.The "zebra crossing" is just outside the Beatles' Abbey Road studios in London, and both the crosswalk and the studio have been granted protected status — meaning any changes to the historic sites must be approved by local government.
As such, municipal officials and street crews took advantage of the current coronavirus lockdown in the U.K. to spruce up the tourist attraction, repainting the white lines on the road.
That odd fluke when you turn up to photograph an empty #abbeyroad and stumble across a team refreshing the iconic zebra crossing. @thebeatles @GettyImagesNews pic.twitter.com/RiW0NfJBeE
— Leon Neal (@tabascokid) March 24, 2020
The site has become a huge draw, with many visitors recreating the album cover of Abbey Road (which famously featured the Beatles crossing the street).
We wouldn't recommend pulling a Paul McCartney and walking it without shoes, though — new paint job or not.
In related news, Abbey Road Studios closed its doors for the first time in its 89-year history earlier this week to limit the spread of COVID-19.
For the first time in our 89-year history, we are closing the doors to @AbbeyRoad in line with the strict measures introduced by the UK Government to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Studios are now closed for at least three weeks. Click here to read more https://t.co/n05MZPgdBK pic.twitter.com/982V6jIcDt
— Abbey Road Studios (@AbbeyRoad) March 24, 2020