.........I'M ON THE ROAD TO NOWHERE.......................

......And over the Christmas period it was announced quite seriously that a couple of Belisha beacons , some white paint and a strip of tarmac had been formally granted a schedule Grade Two listed status , joining the growing list of protected buildings and monuments that form part of this country's heritage. Devoid of any particular architectural or artistic content - devoid in fact of pretty much any content at all , this raises the interesting question that at what point does an artifact of no intrinsic merit whatsoever become of cultural significance ? .

..........It's all in the context - the zebra crossing in question is the one recorded for posterity on the cover on the Beatles last album, the eponymously titled ' Abbey Road ' ...............and even here the value of its significance is questionable , as the zebra crossing granted heritage status is not even the original crossing ,  having being relocated by the local council slightly to the south-east in the 70s in the interests of traffic management. Every generation has its icons , but it is arguable here that the iconic status rests not with the ' physical installation ' on Abbey Road but with the album cover itself as artifact. Do buildings become of more intrinsic merit by virtue of having a circular blue heritage plaque bestowed on them, and does the plaque therefore assume a value in its own right ? Do artifacts, buildings, installations only assume a cultural significance when defined by their context ?

.........and with regards to the question of ' original ' , let's return to the philosopher's favorite knife - with a lot of use the handle is worn and is replaced ; after more use the blade too is replaced.......so where does 'original ' lie ? 

HHHmmmmmm ..........................................................