University of York considers Sex Pistols house an important archaeological site

In what is perhaps both a nod to The Sex Pistols' place in the history of modern music and an insult to John Lydon's artistic capabilities, The Telegraph is reporting that the University of York's archaeology department has declared a house The Sex Pistols rented in the 1970s to be an important historical and archaeological site. The reason is due to pieces of art that Lydon (also known as Johnny Rotten) drew on its walls while living there. The department's Dr. John Schofield compares the pieces to early human drawings in southern France's Lascaux caves, and insists they deserve investigation. However, due to the limited scope of what heritage organizations usually aim to preserve, they're still unsure if the building should be classified as a conventional heritage site. For the time being, they're calling it "anti-heritage." The article quotes Dr. Schofield, saying:

"We feel justified in sticking our tongues out at the heritage establishment and suggesting that punk's iconoclasm provides the context for conservation decision-making. Our call is for something that directly follows punk's attitude to the mainstream, to authority; contradicting norms and challenging convention. This is an important site, historically and archaeologically, for the material and evidence it contains. But should we retain it for the benefit of this and future generations? In our view, with anti-heritage, different rules apply. The building is undoubtedly important, and could meet criteria for listing or for a blue plaque, if not now then in time."

You can see photos of some of the pieces of art, depicting Lydon and his bandmates, at the Telegraph article linked above, as well as at Discovery News. If you're an archaeology buff, you can also read more about the University of York's findings in the journal Antiquity.