Abbey Road zebra crossing preserved in asphalt as well as vinyl - The Guardian

Tourists and music lovers flock to Abbey Road every day. Photograph: Felix Clay

The north-west London zebra crossing traversed by the Beatles one bright morning 41 years ago - and visited by musical pilgrims ever since - has has been granted Grade II listing.

The heritage minister John Penrose took the unusual decision to protect the crossing, which provided the cover shot for Abbey Road album, following advice from English Heritage.

Although the listing is the first of its kind, the Abbey Road studios where the 1969 album was recorded, won similar recognition this February.

Sir Paul McCartney, whose barefoot stroll across the road gave rise to all manner of absurd conspiracy theories, welcomed the news today. "It's been a great year for me and a great year for the Beatles and hearing that the Abbey Road crossing is to be preserved is the icing on the cake," he said.

Penrose said that while the crossing was "no castle or cathedral", it had "just as strong a claim as any to be seen as part of our heritage" because of its link to the Beatles. He added: "As such it merits the extra protection that Grade II listing provides."

Roger Bowdler, head of designation at English Heritage, said: "the crossing continues to possess huge cultural pull — the temptation to recreate that 1969 album cover remains as strong as ever."

The Abbey Road album was the last to be completed by the Beatles, although Let It Be, which had been recorded earlier, was the last to be issued.

The cover photograph fuelled speculation that McCartney had been killed and replaced by a convenient doppelganger.

Fans were quick to decipher what they argued were several hidden, but overwhelmingly sinister, messages in the picture.

Exhibit A, they argued, was the fact that the group resembled a funeral procession; exhibit B, that McCartney is barefoot - as, apparently, a corpse would be.

Fans flock to the crossing from every corner of the globe. On the 40th anniversary of the photoshoot on 8 August last year, hundreds of people relived the moment, causing traffic chaos in the area.

Other groups who have copied the pose include Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their homage, used on the front of 1988's The Abbey Road EP, had more in common with solo-era John Lennon than the original shot: it showed the Californian band crossing the road naked but for four strategically placed white sports socks.