Looking for this street in London!?

Question

My mum said when she was in London 30 years ago she found a little street with tiny original old shops on it; the sort of old shops where you have to duck to go into them in this day and age. She is wanting to find it again but can't remember the name of the street or where it was. She also said she remembers the street going uphill slightly.

Can anyone help me find out which street this might be?

Answer 1

Sorry it's completely wrong that it wouldn't exist for health and safety reasons. This sounds Tudor or something and would be protected under heritage laws. I'll have a think and update!

Hampstead is a good bet actually, but most places will have a Subway and five Starbucks spliced in between now sadly.

Maybe your mum found diagon alley!!

Answer 2

There are parts of London where 18th and 19th century shops do survive, but the description that you've given isn't really enough to pin it down.  It would really help if she could tell us what kind of shops they were and roughly which part of London they were in (central, north, east, etc.).

Answer 3

there are LOADS of streets like that in london :)

Answer 4

it is unlikely that it still exists in that format, health and safety reasons alone would have made the shop-owners change the restrictive access.

  the best way to get a possible insight to any such places of which one was possibly the one mentioned by your mother would be to ask a black cab driver who has held a license for some time or his trade paper.  I think it's called 'taxi-talk'?

  I will later this weekend ask my brother who happens to be a black cab driver and see if he can shed any light on it. meanwhile try and get mum to recall a rough area were it may have been .even south of the river would be a help for example.

Answer 5

Hampstead is still like that

Answer 6

i don't know if this will work but have you tried talking to The Hackney Carriage office, they run the black cab drivers, or if you can speak to a black cab driver he should know !

good luck !

Answer 7

Soho west end of London Hundred of old shops  like  The George INN this is a national Trust Pub that cannot be changed inside and out and has a low doorway

these Places can be found in any part of london not burnt down by the Great fire of London1666



An essential stop-off for a few pints post Borough Market-trawl, this 16th century tavern plays up its historical background without feeling like a tourist pub in Leicester Square. Eat some hearty fare, bang your head on a few low doorways and warm your cockles in the sunshine in the large cobbled courtyard – if it was good enough for Dickens and Shakespeare, it’s good enough for you

Answer 8

Hi, to be honest 30 years is a Long time and she MAY have slightly HARRY POTTER glasses on however there are hundreds of streets that may fit the bill.It would be a great help if she new NSEor West, i am a black cabbie and have racked my brains. Most likely she was near covent garden around NEAL ST it's very like that, if it's EAST it could be around OLD SPITTLEFIELDS market or HOLBORN  if WEST some of the Arcades we're once like that off DAVIES ST,JERMAYNE ST and Piccadilly (POSH THOUGH) if SOUTH borough market or SHAD THAMES (They filmed oliver there) often overlooked by tourists but probably the most OLDIE WORLDY in London.

Obviously cabbies don't really go in shops so can't tell u how high they are, hope this helps chook, if she get'sA flashback on the NSEW thing let me know B LUCKY