THIS is the shocking picture that sent Beatles fans into shock worldwide yesterday – alongside the sad announcement that the iconic Abbey Road zebra crossing would soon be no more.

Until, that is, Fab Four followers checked the date. April 1. It was a cheeky April Fool’s Day trick emanating from the social media team at no less than Abbey Road Studios itself. 

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that the Abbey Road crossing is set to be removed for the foreseeable future,” they posted on X, formerly Twitter. “A decision beyond our control.”

The crossing, of course, was immortalised on the cover of The Beatles’ iconic Abbey Road album, over which John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison famously strode.

Snapped in the late morning of August 8, 1969, the idea was Paul’s, who sketched out the scene and asked freelance photographer Iain Macmillan to take the shot with his Hasselblad camera.

History records he had only ten minutes to capture the image. A helpful bobby stopped traffic while the photographer set up a ladder in the middle of the road to get the high viewpoint needed.

Given the tiny timeframe, and unlike today’s extensive album art photoshoots, Macmillan took only six pictures as The Beatles walked back and forth – and the fifth shot was the one.

Since then it has become something of a pilgrimage for Beatles fans, and Abbey Road studios has set up a live webcam to record the comings and goings at the spot.

Recordings are loaded in hourly time slots so you can pose on the crossing and wave towards the studios, make a note of the time, then visit the website to see your own 15 seconds of fame.

You can visit the official webcam, and reassure yourself that the crossing is still indeed there, here.

The studios themselves can only be visited by appointment, but you can write a message on the famous graffiti wall outside, visit the official shop selling all manner of memorabilia and souvenirs, and take photos of the building’s exterior.

It’s just a few minutes’ walk from St John’s Wood Underground station on the Jubilee line. When you leave the station, cross the road onto Grove End Road and walk down the hill until you reach Abbey Road. Turn right and the iconic zebra crossing is immediately in front of you.

Abbey Road Studios has been at the heart of the music business for more than 93 years, hosting the likes of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Yehudi Menuhin, Oasis, Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga, Sam Smith, Stormzy and countless others.

In 1929, when recordings were still captured acoustically with a large wooden horn and a wax disc, The Gramophone Company began the search for a location to support the new industry of electrical recording.

They found a nine-bedroom house for sale in St. John’s Wood, and bought it for £16,500 before spending two years building the world’s first recording studios, which opened on November 12, 1931 with Sir Edward Elgar and the London Symphony Orchestra playing Land of Hope and Glory.