Hidden London: Abbey Road
The incredible city of Greater London is England’s capital city and the largest metropolis to be found in Europe. London is also one of the most popular places in Europe in which to take a short vacation or weekend break. Possibly the main reason for the city’s popularity with tourists is the incredible concentration of world class tourist attractions and unbeatably important historical buildings. Of course much of the historical appeal is closely associated with the British Royal Family and the many traditions and institutions in and around London.
Throughout the history of the United Kingdom it would seem that most of the important events have occurred in London. Obviously, with the King or Queen living in the city and the Houses of Parliament being there, most of the important political events happened in London. However the city also has played an important role in the cultural development of Great Britain and this was extremely apparent during the lively period which has become known as the “Swinging Sixties”. With important events such as the “Ally Pally Pothead Rally” taking place and the most famous bands basing themselves in the city, London has, for many decades, acted as the musical capital of England and the United Kingdom.
Abbey Road is one of the most famous streets in the world. This famous street in London is well known as the cover of a Beatles album, Abbey Road. The Beatles (John, Paul, George & Ringo) are photographed walking the road (on the pedestrian crossing). Paul McCartney is shown walking barefoot and John Lennon is wearing his white suit.
The album cover whilst being iconic also left some fans feeling depressed and hysterical. The photograph was accredited as being proof that Paul was dead. (Paul was supposedly killed in motor accident) The list of clues in the album cover are too numerous to mention, but the most common ones are, Paul had his eyes closed, was barefoot, was smoking right handed (he was left handed), and he had his right foot forward whilst all the other Beatle members had their left feet forward.
The famed album acquired its name after the London street where it was recorded. The EMI studios were where the Beatles recorded a lot of their songs, which George Martin produced. The studios changed their name to Abbey Road Studios in 1970 when the band finished recording an album which later proved to be their last recording together.
Astonishingly, the Beatles are still as famous today as they ever were. They have fans (old and new) from all over the world making the pilgrimage every year to Abbey Road, London. The fans have to be patient, and wait for the traffic to clear, before they can have their photos taken just like the Beatles did, walking across the black and white pedestrian crossing.
The trendy residential area of St. John’s Wood is home to Abbey Road Studios. Situated within the converted Georgian townhouse are a more than one recording studio. The space is also extended with more building out back in the garden. The house next door is also the property of EMI, which is used to ensconce artists whilst they are working in the studios. Some do not stay very long and other stay there for quite a while. The Beatles remained quite a long time at Abbey Road, whilst recording one of their best ever albums. They remained a total of one hundred and twenty nine days in 1967, and the album they worked on was Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
When planning a visit to the Uk, Abbey Road is often found amongst the lists of landmarks to visit. So whilst on holiday here you might like to have your photograph taken at the world famous studios or emulate the Beatles and have your photograph taken whilst walking across the road.
Of course there are a great many other places to visit in London but, if you want to visit somewhere other than the usual tourist attractions of Buckingham Palace and similar places, then with only a little research, you will easily find a number of places in hidden London that are well worth visiting which are not on the usual tourist map of the city.
