Allan Hailstone was born in Coventry but visited London numerable times before becoming a student at London University in 1957. Wherever he went he always took his camera and would eventually take hundreds of photographs of the capital. On the evening of 5th November he went on a stroll around the brightly lit West End and here are some of his pictures he took that night…
The Empire Theatre on the north side of Leicester Square. The Queen’s Corner bar had no toilets and customers had to use the public conveniences in the Square
Café de Paris on Coventry Street
Leicester Square tube station looking south on Charing Cross Road.
Charing Cross Road
Cinerama, Casino Cinema on Old Compton Street in Soho.
Coventry Street corner, Haymarket.
Coventry Street
The Silver Snack Bar on Cranbourne Street, where in 1955 you could buy sausages, chips and beans costing 2 shillings and 3 pence.
Frith Street in Soho
The Odeon cinema at Marble Arch
C & A’s on Oxford Street near Marble Arch. It’s a Primark now.
The Palace Theatre at Cambridge Circus
Piccadilly Circus
Selfridges on Oxford Street.
Allan Hailstone’s Portrait of a City published in 2014 by Amberley Publishing.
See more of Allan Hailstone’s pictures on flickr.
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