1960s London: More History In Photos

~ beetleypete

In the 1960s, London buses still had conductors. They would walk around the bus issuing tickets, manage the amount of people allowed to stand on the bus, and also eject any unruly bus passengers. Many of them were women.

This fierce-looking lady looks like someone who would stand no nonsense.

Many immigrants from the West Indies worked for London Transport as drivers or conductors. This young woman was typical of the times.

A mini-skirted model poses on a London street. She is also not wearing a bra. These new fashions were something very different in the 1960s, and caught the eye of the man walking past.

Two fashionable young girls ask a bowler-hatted city gent for the time. This was likely a set-up, to illustrate the old and new.

The Beatles touring a street market in Soho. Many emerging pop groups of the 1960s took ‘photo-opportunities’ in London.

This solid traffic jam on a wet Regent Street shows that little has changed since the 1960s.

A ‘Pearly King’ photographed in Central London. They still exist today.
Here is their history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearly_Kings_and_Queens

This young model is displaying a real fur coat with a matching cover on her portable radio. Fur was still considered to be acceptable then.

The very latest public telephones at Oxford Street Station. Now everyone has a mobile phone.

The model known as Twiggy. (Real name Lesley Hornby) She epitomised the Swinging Sixties fashion. Painfully thin, short hair, and a Union Jack dress. She is still working today, at the age of 73.

41 thoughts on “1960s London: More History In Photos”

  6. As part of my Bigfoot research I have a cartoon wherein Bigfoot is using a pay phone. Two characters hiding in the bushes. One says “Well, you don’t see that everyday.” The other says “Which one?” Great shots as always!

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  7. (1) “‘You ask me what kind of lingerie I’m wearing one more time, and I’m going to kick you off this bus!”
    (2) “Yes, you can buy used bus tickets for half price!”
    (3) That’s a really sexy parking meter.
    (4) “It’s time I wrangle myself a young mistress. Either one of you interested?”
    (5) “Hey, Ringo! Where did we park the Volkswagen?”
    (6) “I think I’ll just leave the car here and go have a beer. No one will notice!”
    (7) “The world is my oyster!” (Pearly King)
    (8) “I’d rather go naked than wear fur, but I don’t want to embarrass the photographer.”
    (9) “Hello, operator? I’d lake to make a long distance collect call to Steve Jobs…. Yes, ma’am, I’ll hold.”
    (10) I heard that after this photo was taken, Twiggy went bowling.

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  8. These pictures bring it all back! Mini skirts got really mini. Even the uniformed staff I worked with had skirts that were barely decent. Not practical in cold winters. I remember those bus conductors being fairly tough. I was fascinated by the ticket roll. Could never figure out how they knew how many cranks to make. The tickets were very long sometimes! Earl’s Court was “our” station. I was born just down the road.

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  9. It occurs to me that I don’t view history as anything after WWII. As I lived it, it was only life. 🙂 But, I do appreciate the photos and explanations. I never would have know about the Pearly Kings and Queens. Warmest regards, Ed

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    1. Thanks, Ed. I understand that view of history, as I was living it during the 1960s shown in these photos. But what was ‘life’ has now become ‘history’, if you live long enough for that to happen. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  17. saw all that still up to ’85. I remember the clippies well and the West Indian train conductors & platform guards. I still remember vividly their delightful train announcements . . . “Just now marn this a train be going to Wandsworth Common, da Balham, to da Streatham Common, then da Norbury, Selhurst and da Croydon. . . Wait marn. . no no no, I just been told, wait marn, yeah dis train not be stoppin at da Balham, da Streatham or da Selhurst today marn . . they be doin some works there eh marn . so dis train just a be goin to Wandsworth Common, then da Norbury and Croydon eh marn. Ya got that yeah.”
    The platform burst into laughter & applause. Delightful, never forgotten.
    Look closely at those models again Pete . . they be having the word “trouble” written all over them.

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  18. I don’t think the braless girl and the bloke looking back at her is 1960s. Platform boots of that style came into fashion in the early 70s – platforms weren’t a ‘thing’ in the 60s. I’d date it as around 1972. I know this stuff because I am a girl, and remember what we used to wear!

    Great selection again – I remember those bus conductors!!!

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    1. Thanks for your date adjustment, Terry. It was captioned as ‘1960s’ model. I do remember girls wearing boots in the 1960s though. My 16-year old girlfriend had some grey suede ones in 1968, but they were not as long as these, or as high-heeled. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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