
Carnaby Street
Pedestrian shopping street that sparked the nineteen-sixties Swinging London fashion revolution.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Carnaby Street in London begins with a fire in 1956, when a young Scotsman named John Stephen lost his small Soho menswear shop and relocated to a shabby backstreet of sweatshops and locksmiths. It follows what he did with the cramped unit at number five, a canary-yellow shopfront, pop music, coloured jeans, and how it began pulling in London's young men, who had never before had clothes made just for them. A green plaque at number one marks where he started.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Portobello Road Market
Mile-long antiques and street market in Notting Hill, running every Saturday since the eighteen hundreds.
Camden Lock Market
Iconic outdoor market in a former timber yard beside Regent's Canal, birthplace of London's alternative scene.
Liberty London
Tudor-revival department store built from two decommissioned warships, famous for its signature printed fabrics.
Abbey Road
Grade II listed zebra crossing where the Beatles shot their iconic final album cover in nineteen sixty-nine.
Neal’s Yard (Courtyard)
Colourful hidden courtyard in Covent Garden, transformed from a derelict yard into a vibrant wholefood and wellness hub.
Old Spitalfields Market
Victorian iron-and-glass market hall trading since sixteen eighty-two, now a hub for food, fashion, and crafts.