Sex Pistols' London home given listed status

Historic England has given the former London home of anarchic punk band the Sex Pistols grade II* listed status, protecting it for posterity.

Numbers 6 and 7 Denmark Street, two 17th-century townhouses, are still adorned with cartoons and graffiti from the mid-1970s by the band's controversial front man, John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten.

The images, done in a marker pen, include caricatures of bassist Sid Vicious and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen.

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While the status is a rare privilege, the Daily Telegraph says that for "original punk fans", it is just "the latest example of the movement being gobbled up by the establishment".

In an effort to allay these fears, Historic England told The Guardian it was the "remarkably well preserved architectural detail, fittings and character of the two buildings" that had ensured listing status.

However, Historic England designation adviser Posy Metz, who assessed the buildings, admitted that the townhouses' history as the band's home was also significant.

"The purpose of listing is to flag things which are of historical and cultural importance and I think punk is a really important part of our cultural history and including it in the listing is a way of recognising that," she said.

"The alternative is saying: let's forget all about punk because they don't want to be remembered as part of our history."

The announcement that the movement's 40th anniversary is being celebrated across London this year, under the guise of "Punk London", which has the support of Mayor Boris Johnson, has also left some fans cold.

Joe Corre, the son of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren and fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, has said he will publically burn £5m of punk memorabilia in response to the celebrations.

"Rather than a movement for change, punk has become like a f****** museum piece or a tribute act," he said.