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Blue plaque marks the spot The Beatles shot part of Magical Mystery Tour film in West Malling

By: Claire McWethy cmcwethy@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 00:01, 23 November 2015

A West Malling kebab house had something to twist and shout about, after a blue plaque was unveiled to mark its place in musical history.

John Lennon and Ringo Starr can be seen buying tickets at the former town news agency, now in the high street, in the opening of the Beatles’ 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour.

Now the building is one of six in the town to have had its heritage marked with a blue plaque.

Some of The Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour was shot in the West Malling area

The Fab Four spent several days filming in the town, with the disused West Malling Airfield the most visible local location in the film. But high street shops also appear in a number of scenes.

Minister for culture MP Tracey Crouch unveiled the plaque at a ceremony.

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Peter Cosier is the mastermind behind the scheme, which aims to bring the borough’s heritage to life by highlighting the places where important people from history once lived or worked.

The unveiling ceremony

The vinyl markers also have QR codes, allowing smartphone users to learn more about the history behind the plaques in 12 different languages.

Mr Cosier said: “We are opening windows to the past to people who did important things locally and sometimes nationally, to learn more about our community and the culture we share.

“There is much research still to be done and we urge people to get in contact with their information, memories, or illustrations which can be easily incorporated into the digital text of this living history.”

A ceremony was held to mark the unveiling of the plaques

The scheme was launched in Remembrance week to commemorate plaques paying tribute to past colonels, generals, an Admiral of the Fleet and two Second World War pilots.

Chairman of the West Malling Blue Plaques group, Trudy Dean, said: “West Malling is a special place where many special people have lived and visited.

"In opening windows to their extraordinary histories we believe we have created a scheme which is affordable for the smallest communities, appealing instantly to young people in particular, and which can be copied around the world.”

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