Liverpool’s Penny Lane — of Beatles fame — might be renamed, according to Steve Rotherham, Liverpool’s Metro Mayor.
Last week, four road signs bearing the name were spray-painted over, according to NME, the word “racist” painted over one sign. Apparently, the signs were painted because some believe the lane was named after slave trader James Penny. According to the BBC, Liverpool’s Penny transported slaves in the late 1700s.
“If it is as a direct consequence of that road being called Penny Lane because of James Penny, then that needs to be investigated,” Rotherham told Sky News Monday. “Something needs to happen and I would say that sign and that road may well be in danger of being renamed.”
Still, evidence seems thin that this is indeed the case. Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum said that it wasn’t sure that the street was named for Penny and tour guide Jackie Spencer told the BBC: “We’ve researched it, and it has nothing to do with slavery. James Penny was a slave trader, but he had nothing to do with the Penny Lane area.”
Rotherham aims to do research into the origins of the name and plans to take action if a link is found. “It needs to be investigated and then, if it’s found as a direct link, then action can be taken,” he said.
The dustup over Penny Lane follows a worldwide call to remove monuments that celebrate racist figures in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. Late last week, Taylor Swift publicly called for such landmarks to be eradicated in Tennessee.
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