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in Places & People

Amazing Vintage Photos Show The Street Life Of London From The 1980s

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The 1980s was an era of rapid change for London, the social and political atmosphere changed so drastically. It began with Margaret Thatcher having just been voted into office in 1979, the streets were lined in anticipation for Prince Charles and Lady Diana‘s wedding in 1981. It is a decade when the streets of London were scattered with punks and mods, with record shops and rock stars — and today’s Canary Wharf skyscrapers were barely a gleam in a developer’s eye. Unions and family-owned shops gave way to privatization and impersonal, foreign-owned stores.

Take a look at these amazing photos from the 1980s that show the street life of Londoners.

#1 Piccadilly Circus, London, 1989

Piccadilly Circus, London, 1989

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#2 Piccadilly Circus, London, 1989

Piccadilly Circus, London, 1989

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#3 Punk rocker in London, 1985

Punk rocker in London, 1985

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#4 Busker in London, 1985

Busker in London, 1985

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#5 A Tonibell ice cream van in Montague Place, London, 1980

A Tonibell ice cream van in Montague Place, London, 1980

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#6 Criterion Theatre, Piccadilly Circus, London, 1980

Criterion Theatre, Piccadilly Circus, London, 1980

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#7 London, 1980

London, 1980

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#8 Fleet Street, London, 1982 (looking west)

Fleet Street, London, 1982 (looking west)

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#9 Trafalgar Square, London, 1982

Trafalgar Square, London, 1982

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#10 Roller skating in London, 1983

Roller skating in London, 1983

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#11 Punk rocker in London, 1985

Punk rocker in London, 1985

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#12 Trafalgar Square, London, 1989

Trafalgar Square, London, 1989

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#13 Hackney school children protest to highlight the sale of radioactive lamb in UK supermarkets following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986

Hackney school children protest to highlight the sale of radioactive lamb in UK supermarkets following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986

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#14 Hackney Show June 20 1987

Hackney Show June 20 1987

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#15 On the town… Hackney pensioners 1985

On the town… Hackney pensioners 1985

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#16 Dalston style 1984 snapped for the One Day Off In Hackney project

Dalston style 1984 snapped for the One Day Off In Hackney project

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#17 Dalston Child Daycare Centre, 1986

Dalston Child Daycare Centre, 1986

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#18 Cromwell Place, London, 1982

Cromwell Place, London, 1982

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#19 Oxford Street, London, 1980 (outside Selfridges looking east)

Oxford Street, London, 1980 (outside Selfridges looking east)

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#20 A puppeteer outside the Earl of Lonsdale Pub, Portobello Road, London, 1980

A puppeteer outside the Earl of Lonsdale Pub, Portobello Road, London, 1980

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#21 Buckingham Gate, London, 1980

Buckingham Gate, London, 1980

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#22 Carnaby Street, London, 1980

Carnaby Street, London, 1980

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#23 Oxford Street, London, 1980 (corner of Duke Street)

Oxford Street, London, 1980 (corner of Duke Street)

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#24 Portabello Rd Market, London, 1980

Portabello Rd Market, London, 1980

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#25 Portobello Rd, London, 1980

Portobello Rd, London, 1980

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#26 Admiratly Arch, London, 1982

Admiratly Arch, London, 1982

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#27 Albert Memorial, London, 1982

Albert Memorial, London, 1982

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#28 Brompton Oratory, London, 1982

Brompton Oratory, London, 1982

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#29 Buckingham Palace, London, 1982

Buckingham Palace, London, 1982

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#30 Portobello Rd Market, London, 1982

Portobello Rd Market, London, 1982

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#31 Charing Cross railway station, London, 1983

Charing Cross railway station, London, 1983

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#32 Fulham Palace Road (northbound by junction of Lillie Road), London, 1983

Fulham Palace Road (northbound by junction of Lillie Road), London, 1983

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#33 Picadilly Circus looking down Coventry Street, London, 1983

Picadilly Circus looking down Coventry Street, London, 1983

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#34 Daily Express building, Fleet Street, London, 1984

Daily Express building, Fleet Street, London, 1984

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#35 Junction of South Molton Street and Brook Street, London, 1984

Junction of South Molton Street and Brook Street, London, 1984

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#36 London, 1984

London, 1984

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#37 Oxford Street, London, 1984 (looking west towards Marble Arch)

Oxford Street, London, 1984 (looking west towards Marble Arch)

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#38 Oxford Street, London, 1984

Oxford Street, London, 1984

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#39 South Molton Street, London, 1984

South Molton Street, London, 1984

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#40 A bus in London, 1985

A bus in London, 1985

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#41 Coaches in London, 1985

Coaches in London, 1985

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#42 Covent Garden, London, 1985

Covent Garden, London, 1985

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#43 Covent Garden, London, 1985

Covent Garden, London, 1985

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#44 London Underground, 1985

London Underground, 1985

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#45 London Underground, 1985

London Underground, 1985

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#46 Parliament Square, looking down Whitehall, London, 1985

Parliament Square, looking down Whitehall, London, 1985

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#47 Trafalgar Square (looking down Whitehall), London, 1985

Trafalgar Square (looking down Whitehall), London, 1985

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#48 Wimpy restaurant, 425 Oxford Street, London, 1985

Wimpy restaurant, 425 Oxford Street, London, 1985

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#49 Edgware Rd, London, 1987

Edgware Rd, London, 1987

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#50 London, 1987

London, 1987

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#51 Tube trains at Neasden Depot, London, 1987

Tube trains at Neasden Depot, London, 1987

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#52 Art market at Green Park, Piccadilly, 1989

Art market at Green Park, Piccadilly, 1989

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#53 Piccadilly Circus, London, 1989

Piccadilly Circus, London, 1989

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#54 Policemen at Buckingham Palace, London, 1989

Policemen at Buckingham Palace, London, 1989

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#55 Rock Circus, London Pavilion, Picccadilly Circus, 1989

Rock Circus, London Pavilion, Picccadilly Circus, 1989

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#56 Traveller life, Hackney 1985

Traveller life, Hackney 1985

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#57 R.Mison Newsagent & General Store, 1985

R.Mison Newsagent & General Store, 1985

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#58 Columbia Rd flower market 1984

Columbia Rd flower market 1984

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#59 The Tape/Slide Project Team, 1985

The Tape/Slide Project Team, 1985

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#60 Church Street, Stoke Newington, 1984.

Church Street, Stoke Newington, 1984.

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#61 Tobacconist – 1984

Tobacconist – 1984

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#62 Acclaimed Trinidad born writer Rosa Guy visits Centerprise in the mid 80s

Acclaimed Trinidad born writer Rosa Guy visits Centerprise in the mid 80s

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#63 Kingsland High Street, 1985

Kingsland High Street, 1985

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#64 Hackney 1984

Hackney 1984

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#65 Hackney Empire Mecca Bingo, 1980s

Hackney Empire Mecca Bingo, 1980s

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#66 1980s messaging pre-social media pre-mobile

1980s messaging pre-social media pre-mobile

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#67 Ridley Road Market – 1984

Ridley Road Market – 1984

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#68

Amazing Vintage Photos Show The Street Life Of London From The 1980s

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#69 View from Canary Wharf DLR station, 1988

View from Canary Wharf DLR station, 1988

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#70 Spitalfields Market, Brushfield Street, 1988

Spitalfields Market, Brushfield Street, 1988

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#71 On the DLR travelling from Westferry to Poplar, 1988

On the DLR travelling from Westferry to Poplar, 1988

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#72 North Quay Junction, 1988

North Quay Junction, 1988

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#73 High Road Leytonstone, London 1987

High Road Leytonstone, London 1987

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#74 High Road Leytonstone, 1988

High Road Leytonstone, 1988

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#75 High Road Leytonstone, 1987

High Road Leytonstone, 1987

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#76 Bow Creek and Leamouth Peninsula, 1990

Bow Creek and Leamouth Peninsula, 1990

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#77 Bishopsgate, 1988

Bishopsgate, 1988

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#78 Queen Victoria Pub, Gillender Street, 1990

Queen Victoria Pub, Gillender Street, 1990

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Written by Aung Budhh

Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life.

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2 Comments

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Aliyah London says:

February 3, 2022 at 13:08 Copy Link of a Comment

Barely changed!

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Tucker Soft says:

February 3, 2022 at 13:08 Copy Link of a Comment

Today I learned that I am Vintage

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