Abbey Road Crossing — London

On 8 August 1969, photographer Iain Macmillan stood on a stepladder in the middle of Abbey Road and shot six frames of John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison walking across the pedestrian crossing outside EMI Studios. The sixth frame became the cover of Abbey Road — one of the most imitated and most instantly recognisable album covers in history. The whole shoot took about ten minutes.

The cover was controversial: McCartney walked barefoot, which some interpreted as a clue in the Paul-is-dead conspiracy theory. It was actually just hot, and he had taken his sandals off. The crossing itself has no particular musical significance — it was simply the nearest zebra crossing to the studio gates — but the image made it one of the most famous stretches of pavement in the world.

Fans have been recreating the photograph at this crossing ever since its release, to the considerable annoyance of passing drivers. The crossing is a Grade II listed structure — one of the few pedestrian crossings in Britain to receive heritage protection. Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles recorded virtually their entire catalogue from 1962 to 1970, sits immediately adjacent.

The crossing is freely accessible at all times on Abbey Road in St John's Wood, about a ten-minute walk from St John's Wood tube station. A live webcam installed by Abbey Road Studios shows the crossing around the clock, so you can check how busy it is before visiting. Early morning is the quietest time to get a clean photo.

The studio's exterior wall nearby is covered in fan graffiti that is periodically cleared and replaced. The crossing gets repainted regularly by the local council due to the volume of foot traffic.