Abbey Road sign sells at auction for £37,000

A street sign from London's Abbey Road has sold for £37,200.

The street in St John's Wood, which is home to the famous recording studios, provided the name for, and featured on the cover of, a Beatles album.

The price exceeded expectations - the sign had been predicted to sell for between £1,000 and £2,000.

The white, black and red sign was created in 1967 by Sir Misha Black and was one of 275 signs sold on behalf of Westminster City Council.

The lots sold for a total of £143,517 and sparked last-minute bidding from all over the world.

Other signs sold included two for Eaton Place, which fetched £2,728 each; New Cavendish Street, which sold for £2,728, and Ebury Bridge Road, which went for £1,364.

Auctioneer Catherine Southon, from Catherine Southon Auctioneers & Valuers, said: "As a south Londoner myself, the project of selling the London street signs has been enormous fun from start to finish, and an honour to be involved in.

"I have been absolutely flabbergasted by the interest in the auction and the competitive bidding from all over the world."

Abbey Road Studios is one of the most famous recording studios in the world.

Originally a nine-bedroom house that was built in 1829, it was bought in 1928 by the Gramophone Company, which went on to convert it into a recording studio.

Initially a venue for classical recordings, the studios' repertoire soon embraced jazz and pop music.