Abbey Road connections

Want to hear a great story?  One Sunday lunchtime I was visiting my in-laws with my family and we started a game called ‘what’s your claim to fame?’  The response from my father-in-law, Len, made me almost fall off my chair when he announced that his ‘claim to fame’ was being on the front cover of The Beatles Abbey Road album!  My reply was a very loud ‘WHAT!’  My raised voice brought my wife and mother-in-law running into the garden where we were sitting.  Even my wife, Len’s daughter was unaware of his ‘claim to fame’.  My father-in-law was so matter of fact about his revelation, he couldn’t understand what the fuss was all about which remains in my mind to this day. 

If you have this album or poster I am sure you are rushing to find it.  When we returned home we got our copy of Abbey Road down from the loft to inspect it and sure enough, there was Len on the front cover.  If you look at the top left hand side of the album there are some men standing in white overalls looking towards the zebra crossing.  Len told us that he and some other workmen had been painting a block of flats when they saw something ‘going on’ up the road so went out to investigate and saw the photographers.  After a while they realised The Beatles were being photographed and it took several ‘crossings’ by The Beatles until the photographers were satisfied they had captured the iconic image for the album cover.

Many of my clients request a trip to Abbey Road so they can be photographed in the style of The Beatles on the zebra crossing which I am happy to do.  I always tell clients about my father-in-law and I’m able to point out exactly where he was standing.  It is an amazing story, one which I will never tire of re-telling.