please empty your brain below
These streets must have the most successful lobbying power in London, managing to stop the pedestrianisation of the UK’s busiest shopping street to keep themselves quiet and traffic free.

Dan | 28.11.23 - 7:49 a.m. | #

All very familiar - when I worked for the BBC I used to avoid Oxford St at this time of year by using this exact route.

Steve | 28.11.23 - 7:52 a.m. | #

My first thought, on starting reading, was "Is he going north or south of Oxford Street?"

So I guess you can do One Road South tomorrow...

Putters | 28.11.23 - 7:53 a.m. | #

I have spent far too much time and money at various pubs on one street back. Good to see some of my old haunts

David | 28.11.23 - 8:11 a.m. | #

I too, always use this route to avoid Oxford Street and simply cut into Oxford Street at the point I require. I have walked some of the south side for the same reason.

Barry Coppock | 28.11.23 - 8:14 a.m. | #

Would Oxford street have been pedestrianised if it were anywhere else in the country?

Ed | 28.11.23 - 8:18 a.m. | #

My wife and I are also in the camp of those who never walk along Oxford Street, but always one street north or south - and yet you have of course alerted me to things that I have never noticed. Thank you.

MartinG | 28.11.23 - 8:29 a.m. | #

An enjoyable trot, thanks. It brought back memories, notably Hanway Street in the 70s. My kind of London walk. Looking forward to the southerly traverse. There are similar parallels e.g. for Euston Road, Charing Cross Rd and Holborn which I often used back in the day.

Herbof | 28.11.23 - 9:10 a.m. | #

Lovely stuff. I always try to walk point-to-point in London using the 'one (or more) street back' method - for speed, and increased interest.

I'm confused and alarmed as to why a crazy golf place would need bouncers on "a wet Monday lunchtime" in November.

Frank F | 28.11.23 - 9:43 a.m. | #

Brings back memories. My first job in London was in Newman Street, just up from the Blue Posts - which was our favourite Friday after work pub.

Peter | 28.11.23 - 10:12 a.m. | #

"Elsewhere you can buy a lottery ticket, throw axes for fun and get your lips plumped, but not all at the same time."

Maybe not the lottery ticket but if you stand too close behind someone on their back swing of the axe throwing I think you might have a chance of getting your lips plumped.

Barry | 28.11.23 - 10:12 a.m. | #

I think the club in Portman Mews South is closed, I'm very concerned there's a big risk that you've influenced your readers to turn up at 11pm this Friday in smart casual fashionware!

Bob | 28.11.23 - 10:14 a.m. | #

Interesting.

David B | 28.11.23 - 10:16 a.m. | #

My on and off stamping ground for most of my working life (now off again, rusticated to Whitechapel).

One bit DG missed on this walk is Newman Passage…

dg interrupts: (not on route)

MilesT | 28.11.23 - 10:34 a.m. | #

Very evocative pictures, and enough fascinating words to remind me how much I miss central London. I am particularly amused by the thought of someone thwarted in an attempt to buy buttons, but buying a grand piano instead.

Malcolm of Kent | 28.11.23 - 10:37 a.m. | #

Also used the back streets to avoid Oxford Street, handy for queue free cash machines back in the day, and a good place to 'discover' shops (an actual fishmongers, a proper hardware shop), a parallel shopping district for 'those in the know', then you'd pop out in Marylebone High Street.

Still Anon | 28.11.23 - 10:53 a.m. | #

I used to work on Wigmore Street, so know these streets well.

Oxford Street already is car free anyway, so I'm not pro full pedestrianization. The section between Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road is very quiet and easy to cross, the section nearer Bond Street busier, but those bus routes are really useful.

Mikey C | 28.11.23 - 1:22 p.m. | #

As someone who walked/cycled this way twice a day for 2 academic years in the early 80s (between Goldsmid House, UCL Halls of Residence and TCRd), it has changed so much that I almost don't recognise it. Mind you, it probably wouldn't recognise me either...

Thanks for the memories.

Blue Witch | 28.11.23 - 3:32 p.m. | #

CBRE's offices have a rather nice frieze depicting the history of British architecture (apparently), which is fitting for a firm of surveyors.

Nick | Homepage | 28.11.23 - 3:44 p.m. | #

I lived in the reformulated office block in the 1960s when it was living accommodation for Cumberland Hotel staff. From the outside, it hasn’t changed a bit.

There was an underground passage way between the two.

Deborah | 28.11.23 - 4:11 p.m. | #

Air quality in central London is much better than it was in the past, but avoiding the main road and walking along a quieter parallel route is an easy way to reduce inhalation of nasties from exhaust gases, such as particulates, and nitrogen and sulphur oxides.

Andrew | 28.11.23 - 6:55 p.m. | #

Have you got the right images for the bottom half of the article? After the one with the motorbikes, I'm not seeing what you're describing.

dg writes: yes

Harry | 28.11.23 - 10:14 p.m. | #

That water feature is crying out for some paper boats to race.

Mike | 28.11.23 - 10:40 p.m. | #

AB 1 used to be the registration on the limo of the Chief Constable of Worcestershire before it became the West Mercia force in 1967.

felix | 29.11.23 - 9:13 a.m. | #

there are 4 blue posts in London and last Christmas we pub crawled them following this guide.

Peewit | 29.11.23 - 9:25 a.m. | #

Glad that the record shops of Hanway Street got a namecheck. I was naive to think they'd still be in good health 35 years after I first discovered their dubious delights!

Wayne | 30.11.23 - 12:57 a.m. | #

You mentioned where I work in this post! Glad to see it caught the eye for the reason it did. :-)

Jayne | 30.11.23 - 5:28 p.m. | #

Miles T: Yes, Newman Passage would have been 'on route' before the redevelopment of the PO HQ into 'Rathbone Square' which is still private land so maybe it shouldn't be counted.

My first job in London was in Newman Street and at 5:30 it was out of the office and through Newman Passage to the Fitzroy in Charlotte Street for a pint of Sam Smith's. (c.1984)

kewman | 02.12.23 - 2:05 a.m. | #











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