Here's what Soho looked like in the 80s | City Secrets | Time Out London

Here, we give you a Soho-shaped blast from the past. The retro cars, the neon signs, the 'love shops'.

[@metalbearuk]

Soho was such an exciting place in the 80's. The seediness made it. Always remember walking past one place and they had Shakatak's 'Dark is the Night' blasting out, and I've associated that track with Soho ever since.

[@edgar5598]

Dark is the nighhhhhhhht

[@pataleno]

As a wide eyed 16 year old. I remember my first visit to Soho peep shows back in 1986. That was interesting.

[@miamijim5964]

I walked through it every single morning in 94 on my way to work and every evening on my way home from work... then in 98-02 I held a residency at 23 Romilly Street and lived and breathed Soho for 5 years.

[@xpat73]

Seedy Soho. Loved London back then. Like NYC it has become rather sanitized.

[@williamrubinstein3442]

The Westminster Council totally cleaned the place up in the late 1980s, like Times Square in nyc. Just boitiques there now.

[@christopherchristos7275]

Yep....another identikit, faceless bore .

[@Eurobrasil550]

There was a change in the 80s when Westminster Council clamped down on the display of explicit material and 'marital aids' in shop windows as you may recall, after that time such shops just had a blank board o of curtains in their windows.😊 I think that was the start of the clean up.

[@aqibsindhu8317]

Every reign was fantastic in UK🇬🇧. I wish my Grandfather were there at that time.

[@Sajid_A829]

Be proud of your own country.

[@tonelemoan]

Las Vegas arcade on Wardour Street - best arcade around. When everyone else put their prices per game up to 30p they kept theirs at 20p. Legends. Also: I've never, ever been in ANY of those shops. Honest. Not even to look, let alone buy anything. I swear. Especially not Supermags.

[@th8257]

Really nasty paedophile problem in a lot of the arcades back then

[@dizmop]

The Las Vegas Arcade is still there with the same sign, i used to go there from the late 80s

[@vincentdeguard4726]

...missed-out on "Jenny's" ...model, 3rd floor, "walk-up" ...she was an angel

[@johndaarteest]

I knew a friend who visited one of them, walked in to find an Airfix Spitfire on the floor.

[@Hoffinator]

@@johndaarteest Lmao !! Best comment on here

[@roops2939]

Had to check into an STD clinic

[@Snake8111]

A great place to be

[@Sentientmatter8]

Aziraphale's bookshop seems to have had a temporary rebranding in the 80s.

[@rogerramjet5302]

'Looking for a Friar Tuck you grumble and grunt?'

[@Amathusukx]

Oh the memories and My naïve self and My mates going down into a dodgy strip club, being served by a overly nice girl only to get the bill to find out it was £8 a pint.

[@xpat73]

Lol yes they saw you coming - and me!

[@pigknickers2975]

heh which is not much more than a West End pint. They were futurists.

[@ThomasMichaelsonActor]

Would it be possible to use some of this footage in a short film about Soho? Who would I need to contact/credit?

[@brainsmith3931]

London is a great city in the UK .

[@davidpeters6536]

Sort of tame Amsterdam with a market in the middle (not round the corner).

[@peterg957]

Happy Days...

[@AndrewBuckleBookReviews]

No film of Dark They Were And Golden Eyed comic store in Berwick St or St Anne's Court ... still an interesting video to see

[@tomhaskett5161]

I remember that place!

[@AndrewBuckleBookReviews]

@@tomhaskett5161 Dark They were was an excellent shop, not many pics of it though, only ever found about two or so over the years

[@sharoncommon4743]

Whats the music please?

[@robtyman4281]

This is from the early 80's. Year? ....I'd say 1980. First few months of that year, judging by the amount of clothing people are wearing. Still looking very 70's obviously, as the 80's had yet to take shape. The fashion, and cars are all 70's looking. The area still looked grimy as anything..... untainted by gentrification, and before the corporate influence took over. The area was probably still full of 'single family' owned cafes and restaurants, rather than faceless corporations and big names. A fascinating one minute journey back to that period in time.

[@DarcyDigs]

I thought so too; doesn't look like the 80s at all. Still, brilliant seeing these time capsule videos.

[@borderlands6606]

This looks like the 1970s. Can't see any car number plates but the clothing says pre-1980s.

[@johnclark7065]

London is the only city in the UK that is so culturally diverse and integrated the rest of the UK is segregated and divided no integration at all.

[@Darwinion]

London today is a fucking shit hole.

[@brainsmith3931]

@@Darwinionyour the shithole ,most of the UK is a racist and segregated shithole in Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool which are dumps and full of chavs and bigoted people and divisions .

[@richardtaylor9483]

@@Darwinion You're obviously not old enough son,should of seen it in the 70s and 80s.

[@johnnewbury4370]

Integrated? Ever actually been there?