The ceramic tiles being auction day Bonhams next month

IT is an instantly recognisable street sign that featured on the back of the Beatles’ penultimate album.

For almost 50 years Abbey Road, and particularly the zebra crossing near the junction with Grove End Road, has been one of the capital’s most popular tourist destinations.

Now nine ceramic tiled letters, which appear in a photograph on the back of the album, are up for grabs in an auction at Bonham’s.

The lot reads: “According to the vendor, this sign was salvaged from a wall that was demolished in the mid-1990s in the vicinity of Snowman House, a block of flats built in the 1960s, located towards the northern end of Abbey Road.

“The tiles are of a consistent colour and size, apart from the letter ‘Y’ which is slightly larger and of a slightly different hue, indicating it to be a later replacement for a damaged tile.”

The tiles were photographed by Iain Macmillan and the guide price is £8,000 to £10,000.

The sale is due on December 15.