Penny Lane: Road made famous by The Beatles ‘in danger of being renamed’ if slave trader links are proven

Road that inspired the hit Beatles song was previously believed to have been named after a toll that was paid in pennies

Liverpool’s Penny Lane, the road that inspired the famous Beatles song, could be renamed if its reported links to an 18th Century slave trader are confirmed, a local mayor has said.

Road signs at the location were vandalised last week after it was claimed the area was named after James Penny, a merchant and slave ship owner who was a vocal opponent of the abolition of slavery in England.

While the people who vandalised the signs were condemned by local officials, Steve Rotherham, Liverpool’s Metro Mayor, has now admitted the signs could be renamed if the slavery links are conclusively proven.

“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 told Sky News.

“Something needs to happen and I would say that sign and that road may well be in danger of being renamed.”

Contrary to recent claims, the origins of the name Penny Lane were believed to be taken from a toll on the road that was paid in pennies.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were inspired to write the song as a tribute to childhood nostalgia, as the road was a stopping point on their way to and from school.

Mr Rotheram said there was currently “no evidence” to suggest the road was named after James Penny.

“It’s for other people to decide whether they think it’s appropriate that road sign is taken down, if indeed there is any link to either slavery or other incidences,” he said.

Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum also said evidence linking Penny Lane to James Penny is “not conclusive”, but it is “actively investigating” its history.

The signs were defaced as a number of monuments and statues linked with the slave trade were defaced or torn down amid Black Lives Matter protests.

Officials in Bristol have pledged to rename local music venue Colston Hall, named after slave trader Edward Colston, and have already removed the lettering from the front of the building.