Skip to main content

Take a walk on the wild side; a revamp for a famous pedestrian crossing

One of the world’s most famous road crossings is benefiting from an upgrade, on a key anniversary.
September 26, 2019 Read time: 1 min

One of the world’s most famous road crossings is benefiting from an upgrade, on a key anniversary. The Abbey Road pedestrian crossing in North London is famous as the site of the photo gracing the cover of Abbey Road, the last studio album released by The Beatles, recorded at the nearby EMI studios. The famous cover art shows the four Beatles, Paul, John, George and Ringo, walking across the pedestrian crossing. And on the 50th anniversary of the release of the album, the crossing has now had a makeover.


In addition, to commemorate the anniversary of the band’s 11th studio album, Wrekin and Thames Water have created a one-off, bespoke manhole cover, which has been installed just a stone’s throw away from EMI’s North London recording studio, with a striking design resembling the iconic LP cover. This one-off Thames Water-specified Wrekin Unite D400 manhole cover is situated just in front of the world-famous zebra crossing and can be seen on the Abbey Road webcam.

Related Content

  • Bridge design using flow modelling techniques
    February 17, 2012
    SBG has set numerous engineering precedents with its hugely innovative Jamarat Bridge project in Saudi Arabia
  • Tough tunneling challenge in Italy
    May 25, 2016
    New levels of efficiency and sophistication are being seen in the latest earthmoving machines coming to market - Mike Woof writes. The earthmoving equipment segment accounts for one of the largest parts of the total market for construction machines. All around the world excavators and articulated dumptrucks (ADTs) can be seen operating on construction sites. With a massive array of manufacturers offering these machines, it is no surprise that the segment is hotly contested. In developed markets firms are en
  • Lower traffic emissions in London
    May 20, 2019
    London’s ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) system is already proving successful. In the first month since the scheme was introduced, the number of non-compliant vehicles entering the charging zone has been reduced by 9,400/day, a drop of 26%. According to the latest research, 74% of vehicles entering the ULEZ have been in compliance with the emission requirements.
  • Importance of road/tunnel drainage systems
    April 10, 2012
    A variety of systems are available for quickly and efficiently removing water from roads as Patrick Smith reports The presence of water in a highway layer reduces the bearing capacity of the road, and in doing so it also reduces the structure's lifetime. Indeed, the recent extremely cold winter in many parts of Europe has shown that in colder climates there is a risk of frost damage when water is present resulting in costly potholes, so drainage systems performing properly are important in road design.