The building contains cartoon drawings done by John Lydon in the early days of the band.
A London building, which was once home to the Sex Pistols in the mid-1970s, has been awarded Grade 2* Listed Status by heritage body Historic England. Number 6 and 7 Denmark Street in Tin Pan Alley have both been given the second highest form of listing and will be persevered, despite the redevelopment currently happening in the area.
The Sex Pistols’ former home is now a listed building.
The building, a former silversmith’s workshop attached to a townhouse, was graffitied by Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon after he moved in during the mid-1970s. Lydon’s graffiti includes a drawing of the band’s manager Malcolm McLaren, holding a wad of cash and captioned “Muggerage”.
There’s also a cartoon of Nancy Spungen, the former girlfriend of bassist Sid Vicious, showing her naked alongside the caption “Nancy Spunger”. Vicious is also depicted and labelled “Ego Sloshos” and Lydon had also scrawled ”DEPRESSED MISERABLE TIRED ILL SICK BOOED & BORED,” on the walls.
Announcing the decission, MP David Evennet said: “These 17th century townhouses not only exhibit well-preserved architectural detail but helped nurture Soho’s influence on the global music industry during the 1960s and 1970s.”
More: John Lydon Claims He Was Banned From The BBC Because He Spoke Out About Jimmy Savile
“As we celebrate 40 years of punk, I’m delighted to be granting further protection to these buildings which acted as a home and studio to the Sex Pistols.” This year marks the 40th anniversary of punk, which is being recognised by a series of events and exhibitions under the banner of 'Punk London'.
But the government-backed event has angered Joe Corré, the son of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. Corré says he plans to burn his collection of punk memorabilia, which has an estimated value of £5million, in protest.
Speaking to the NME about his decision to burn the pricy collection Corré said: “I don’t know why 40 years is more important than 25 years or 50 years or 10 years. It’s just some arbitrary thing, backed by all of the establishment, basically.”
“You’ve got a few old grey haired, spiky topped blokes pulling together various events with bands you’ve never heard of and pub walks. If that’s what it’s come to, it’s really sad, and it’s meaningless.”