London in the 1950s and 1960s: Random Images

~ beetleypete

These various images of London life in the late 1950s and 1960s appealed to me.

A South London school class, 1950s. The children have dressed smartly for the photo, and the teacher seems quite old by modern standards.

Excited children crowd around a horse and cart on a South London housing estate, early 1960s.

Joyce and her husband serving up Pie and Mash in their South London pie shop, early 1960s.

A Covent Garden Market porter balancing produce baskets on his special hat. Early 1950s.

Two happy ladies outside a pub they have just left. Early 1960s.

A much younger Rod Stewart photographed with Long John Baldry in Central London, 1967.

Housewives chatting after hanging out their washing inside the housing estate, 1960s.

A fashionable lady wearing her real fur, early 1960s.

The popular jellied eel stall of the famous Tubby Isaacs, early 1960s. The stall was in the same spot in East London from 1919-2013, run by successive members of the same family.

57 thoughts on “London in the 1950s and 1960s: Random Images”

    1. I was suggesting that many junior school teachers here are in their late 20s/early 30s, and appear to be young. The man in the photo appears to be much older, but almost certainly was not. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  10. Another great set of images, the two ladies out of the pub is my favorite. To be a fly on the wall with those two! They look like they’ve seen a thing or two and wouldn’t mind telling you about it!

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  11. (1) There’s one student missing. See the bull’s eye to the left of the top row? (R.I.P.)
    (2) A horse. A cart. They’re hard to force apart.
    (3) Mashed magpie is for the birds.
    (4) There’s a hidden bird’s nest in that top produce basket.
    (5) In Mayberry, North Carolina, those two women would be walking under a picture of Barney Fife.
    (6) Rod Stewart once used cocaine suppositories. Prior to that, however, he just drank Coke.
    (7) The lady down the street finally decided to air her dirty laundry. It had nothing to do with her clothes.
    (8) PETA’s slogan: “I’d rather go naked than wear fur.” I suggest that lady reconsider her public presentation.
    (9) Overheard:
    Nelly (“Jelly”) Isaacs: “What shall we name the baby?”
    Lee (“Eel”) Isaacs: “I suggest we name him John Collier Tubby Isaacs.”
    Jelly: “That’s rather long, don’t you think, Eel?

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    1. John Collier was a famous UK chain of men’s clothing stores, David. They specialised in good value suits. They had a rather annoying TV and cinema (sung in a deep male voice) advertising slogan.
      “John Collier,
      John Collier,
      The window to watch!”
      I noticed Rod was drinking an old-style bottled Coca Cola. I wonder if he was paid extra for advertising that?
      Best wishes, Pete.

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        1. That’s one of many, David. I bought a suit from there. It was made to measure (bespoke) for less than £14, (in 1974) and was a great fit. It lasted for years too. Then again, it was in Terylene material, an artificial polyster derivative that was almost indestructible. 🙂

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  12. Pete, I have said this about previous posts like this, but it’s amazing to realize what a short time ago this really was…the world is changing at warp speed now, isn’t it? Terrific stuff!

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  13. I can hear the conversations and the sounds of old London. It’s funny to see clothing that I had forgotten all about like the coat in bottom pic on right. And I have school pics like that. The ladies from the pub look as if they were laughing about something naughty! But I don’t like the grumpy gent with fur lady. Don’t like her either…what sort of hairdo? Great pics.

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  18. Both my grandmothers often bought jellied eels from Tubby Isaacs’ stall. Mum would take me for pie and mash every Saturday morning when she visited her aunt in Bonner Street. The photo with the horse and cart looks eerily like my maternal grandmother’s block of flats in Ranwell Close, Old Ford.

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