Penny Lane, Immortalized in Beatles Song, May Have Name Changed Due to Slavery Claim
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRoad signs for Penny Lane in Liverpool, which was immortalized by the Beatles’ 1967 song, were recently vandalized due to claims that the street was named after 18 th century slave trader James Penny. The signs had the word Penny blacked out and the word “racist” written above them late last week, according to the BBC.The city’s metro mayor, Steve Rotherham, told Sky News that if the claims turn out to be true, “If it is as a direct consequence of that road being called Penny Lane because of James Penny, then that needs to be investigated,” he said.