In the 1950s, Britain was still emerging from the bleakness of World War II. By the start of the 1960s, however, the nation was ready to kick on (and kick on, it most certainly did). It would be a decade where the UK fizzed with a newfound sense of freedom: one in which London, a once sombre city, would be transformed into the 'capital of the world'.
From film and fashion to music and sporting triumphs, these 10 years changed everything.
Scroll on to explore some remarkable images from a decade that still defines Great Britain…
It says much about the sensibilities of the time, and the more liberated behaviour that came after, that the obscenity trial for D.H. Lawrence’s novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover caused such a stir. The book itself centres on Lady Constance Chatterley, her unsatisfying marriage to Sir Clifford and a passionate love affair with her husband’s gamekeeper.
Here we see Sir Allen Lane, founder of Penguin Books Ltd, holding a copy of the steamy tale notorious for its use of until-then taboo sexual terms. Penguin Books was found not guilty of an obscene publication by a jury. Within months, the book had sold in the region of two million copies nationwide.
Seen here, wearing a striking hat and turning heads, Mary Quant towered over British fashion in the 1960s. This photo of the influential and subversive icon was taken near her shop Bazaar in Knightsbridge, London. Known for her work democratising fashion, the self-taught designer brought stylish clothes to the masses.
Quant is often cited as the inventor of the decade’s most famed look: the mini-skirt. Whatever the reality, there’s no denying that she took 1960s’ hemlines a daringly long way north of the knee and, in doing so, made it the trademark of her creations. Today, the Victoria and Albert Museum boasts the world’s largest collection of Quant garments.
Boasting one of the country’s most recognisable theme tunes, Coronation Street has served up some major twists and turns over the years. First aired back in 1960, viewers have been hooked on the tales of fictional northern town Weatherfield, inspired by Salford in Greater Manchester, ever since.
Dismissed by some critics when it first hit the nation’s television screens, the world’s longest-running soap opera will be celebrating its 65th anniversary in December 2025. The show’s set is pictured here, with the famous Rovers Return Inn to the left. At Manchester’s ITV Studios, the Coronation Street Experience gives fans of the show the chance to explore its iconic setting.
A gallery about 1960s’ Britain that didn’t feature The Beatles would be something of a travesty. And so, unsurprisingly perhaps, this won’t be the last time they’re mentioned. Taking place on 9 February 1961, the band’s first gig at Liverpool’s Cavern Club is now the stuff of music legend.
Rocking a lineup of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best on drums, the group quickly established themselves as one of the venue’s signature acts. It was here, in a claustrophobic environment with the audience mere inches away, that they learned their stagecraft and forged their identity.
For football fans today, the idea of Tottenham Hotspur winning the top division and FA Cup in the same season can be difficult to comprehend. Led by Bill Nicholson, their brilliant former player and manager, though, that’s exactly what the club known as the ‘Lilywhites’ achieved in 1961.
After securing the league in April, they ran out 2-0 winners against Leicester City at Wembley in early May to claim the cup as well. They were the first English club to achieve the ‘double’ feat in the 20th century. Pictured, the team and their fans celebrate an unprecedented season of success with an open-top bus parade.
In the early 1960s, getting from A to B was changing. The modernisation of London’s famous public transport network to serve the capital’s growing suburbs was fully underway. Replacement of trolleybuses with diesel buses, including the new Routemaster, had begun and would be completed by May 1962.
The year 1961 also saw the end of steam locomotives being used on the Metropolitan Line. To learn more about how Londoners have historically got themselves around the Big Smoke, head to the London Transport Museum. Just like this photo of doubledecker buses near Green Park station, it’s a chance to immerse yourself in a different time.
During World War II, the 14th-century Coventry Cathedral was destroyed when Luftwaffe bombing raids caused a firestorm to tear through the historic building. Leaving the structure a shell, only the tower and its spire remained standing. The decision to rebuild the cathedral – a symbolic act of faith in a future world free from conflict – was taken the morning after its destruction.
Pictured in 1962, six years after laying the new cathedral’s foundation stone, Queen Elizabeth II is seen here leaving the consecration service alongside the Bishop of Coventry. Incorporating the ruins into a modern aesthetic, Sir Basil Spence’s design is considered a Brutalist masterpiece.
On 5 October 1962, The Beatles (pictured) – now with Ringo Starr (centre left) on drums rather than Pete Best – released their first single. Called Love Me Do, it peaked in the UK charts at 17. Only a modest success on these shores initially, the track would change music history and pop culture forever.
‘Beatlemania’ had begun. Two years later, during their ‘British Invasion’ era stateside, this infectiously catchy song would be part of an extraordinary run of number one hits in the US. Today, The Beatles Story and Liverpool Beatles Museum in their home city are must-visit attractions for 'Fab Four' fans.
Look at 1960s Sean Connery in a tuxedo and you can’t help but hear “The name’s Bond, James Bond” uttered in his famously Scottish lilt. Released in October 1962, Dr. No was the first film in the long-running series inspired by Ian Fleming’s books about the smooth-talking MI6 agent with the 007 codename.
The movie’s success at the box office, made more impressive by its relatively modest budget, paved the way for future Bond films. Introducing the first Bond girl, played by the iconic and bikini-wearing Ursula Andress, as well as the first eccentric Bond villain, it was the start of a cultural and cinematic phenomenon.
British people, as we all know, love nothing more than talking about the weather. The Big Freeze of 1962 to 1963, though, took the routine chat to another level. With snow on the ground for more than 60 days across many parts of the UK, and the temperature barely climbing above freezing for three whole months, it remains the coldest British winter on record.
The conditions served up some surreal scenes, with people skating in front of Buckingham Palace and milkmen making their deliveries on skis. Captured near the Scottish Borders, this remarkable photo shows shepherd’s wife Irene Rutherford posing for a picture after clearing up some snow.
While the sweltering summer of 1961 warmed the British people, the Cold War continued to chill the heart of British politics. Set against this backdrop at the stately Cliveden House in Berkshire, a scandalous love affair was just beginning between Christine Keeler, a 19-year-old mistress of a suspected Russian spy, and the married John Profumo (pictured), a Conservative Secretary of State for War.
When evidence of the affair mounted and the story broke in 1963, after Profumo had already lied to Parliament about the relationship, it sent shockwaves through the establishment. Raising questions over national security, it permanently damaged Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s reputation.
Seemingly beamed in from the pages of a film script, the Great Train Robbery remains one of the most audacious and talked about real-life criminal heists in British history. Featuring a Post Office train travelling from Glasgow to Euston and cash sums equalling £2.3 million ($3.1m), which would be about £30m today ($41m) in today’s money, the steal became known as ‘the heist of the century’ and continued to make headlines for decades after.
Taking place near Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, at a spot called Sears Crossing (pictured), most of the criminal gang were eventually caught and sentenced to a combined total of 307 years in prison.
Nothing encapsulates the spirit of the 1960s more than Radio Caroline, the inspiration behind the 2009 film The Boat That Rocked. Caroline’s story started on 28 March 1964, when the now legendary pirate radio station began broadcasting from a ship anchored in international waters off the coast of Essex. Defying authorities left, right and centre, its output quickly became the soundtrack of the decade for the nation’s rebellious youth.
Taken in June 1964, this photo shows us singer Adam Faith (centre) getting into the swing of things with a nautical hat. Either side of him, in the vessel’s studio, we can see DJ Simon Dee and Captain McKay.
Immortalised in the 1979 film Quadrophenia, the battles between Mods and Rockers in the 1960s epitomised the changing face of youth subculture during this era. One weekend in May 1964, the rivalry reached its peak with clashes on the streets of British seaside resorts like Margate, Brighton, Clacton and Bournemouth.
Overblown by tabloids at the time, who in typically calm fashion predicted impending national collapse, the ugly scenes still resulted in arrests and hospitalisations. Here we see a mounted policeman and his helmeted colleagues trying to maintain order near the Sussex seafront.
By the 1964 general election, the Conservatives had been the governing party in the UK for 13 years. Contested between Harold Wilson, the populist Labour leader who seemed to reflect the public mood for change, and Sir Alec Douglas-Home, a Conservative widely considered an out-of-touch aristocrat, the voting saw Wilson’s party gain a slim parliamentary majority of just four seats.
This photo captures a man and woman celebrating the result in one of Sir Edwin Lutyens’ fountains in Trafalgar Square. Considered by some to be a victory for youthful dynamism, much of the election was fought in the glare of the television spotlight.
The funeral of the man who steered Great Britain through its darkest hour during World War II was, as you might expect, a significant state occasion. Taking place on 30 January 1965, the historic event was broadcast live on the BBC and seen right around the world. In London, thousands of people lined the streets to pay their respects to the legendary wartime leader.
Here, with the capital’s iconic Big Ben tower standing in the background, the cortege can be seen weaving its way down Whitehall. Over at the National Railway Museum in York, you’ll discover the funeral train that carried Churchill on his final journey.
Arguably The Rolling Stones' most famous hit, (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction was the seminal British band’s first number one in the US. Remarkably, however, it nearly got shot down by guitarist Keith Richards before it saw the light of day as a single. Richards, who’d dreamed up the song’s catchy three-chord guitar riff, had little faith in the tune and harboured concerns over the intro’s originality.
Inimitable frontman Mick Jagger got his way, though, with the song achieving the twin feat of hitting top spot stateside and at home. The sexual suggestiveness of its lyrics, combined with themes of capitalist alienation, scandalised the old men of the establishment.
These days, London is a bizarre assortment of architectural structures. From the Gherkin and the Cheesegrater to the Walkie-Talkie and The Shard, the UK’s capital is now a tableau of unique tower shapes. When the Post Office Tower opened its doors back in 1965, though, the skyline looked markedly different.
Officially unveiled by Prime Minister Harold Wilson in October of that year, the new skyscraper reached 620 feet (189m) into the sky as Britain’s tallest building. Still standing today, but known as the BT Tower instead, it’s situated just off Tottenham Court Road.
In April 1966, Time magazine labelled London the ‘Swinging City’. Cementing London’s status as the capital of cool, the article shone a light on its transformation from gloomy post-war capital to epicentre of music, fashion and youth culture.
By the middle of the decade, 40% of the population was under 25. This, combined with the abolition of National Service for men, meant an entire generation had been granted the freedom to shake things up creatively. Pictured here on Carnaby Street, the trendiest and most stylish thoroughfare in London, young people converse on a sunny day.
Without Pickles the dog (pictured), the history of English football could be very different. Those shots of Bobby Moore holding aloft the Jules Rimet trophy before a jubilant Wembley Stadium in the summer of 1966, in fact, might never even have happened if it wasn’t for the detective work of a mixed breed collie in South London.
Stolen from Westminster’s Central Hall on 20 March, the FA received a ransom note for the trophy. A police sting led to an arrest, but the trophy was still missing a week later. Up stepped Pickles, who found it in a car park wrapped in paper. Who’s a good boy, then?
Almost 60 years after the greatest day in the history of English men’s football, the Three Lions are still trying to win another World Cup. Because of this ongoing sporting struggle, built on a seemingly endless cycle of hope and disappointment, the 'Boys of '66' shine ever brighter through the sands of time.
Taken during the final against West Germany, at Wembley Stadium on 30 July, this incredible photo captures England’s Martin Peters celebrating moments after making it 2-1. The host nation would go on to win the tie 4-2 in extra time, sparking joyous scenes across the nation.
Adorned by perhaps the most iconic album cover in music history, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was a revolutionary release courtesy of The Beatles. Blending experimental studio effects with a psychedelic tone, it pushed the boundaries of pop music and shaped the countercultural zeitgeist of the late 1960s like nothing else.
Shown here posing for the press in May 1967, you can see how much the group’s style and sense of fashion has changed. The moustachioed Lennon (bottom right), in particular, seems to be on the cusp of going full hippy.
On 25 May 1967, Celtic Football Club became the first British side to lift the European Cup. Beating Internazionale of Milan (also known as Inter Milan) 2-1 in Lisbon, the feat was made even more noteworthy by the fact that the team was made up entirely of players hailing from within a 30-mile (48km) radius of their Glasgow stadium.
It was a glorious time for Scottish football, with their national team famously beating reigning world champions England at Wembley only a month earlier. This photo shows ecstatic Celtic fans celebrating the greatest triumph in the club’s history.
Revered as a psychedelic classic, Pink Floyd’s debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was the band’s troubled co-founder and frontman Syd Barrett (pictured, centre front) at his most creatively pioneering. Walking the fine line between genius and madness, before sadly veering too far to the latter, Barrett was undone by an overreliance on LSD.
By March 1968, the band – unable to deal with Barrett’s all-too-frequent flights from reality – had severed ties with their chief songwriter. Ultimately replaced by David Gilmour (not pictured), the Floyd would pay tribute to the tragic rise and fall of their original driving force on epic nine-part composition Shine On You Crazy Diamond.
On 17 March 1968, an estimated 10,000 demonstrators hit the streets of London to protest against the Vietnam War and the British government’s ongoing support for the Americans. Making their feelings known outside the United States Embassy in Grosvenor Square, rally attendees set fire to the ‘stars and stripes’ (pictured) as a symbolic act of displeasure.
In what would become known as ‘The Battle of Grosvenor Square’, scenes turned ugly with 86 people treated for injuries and 50 people eventually taken to hospital (including 25 police officers). The shift from peaceful protest to violent scenes inspired The Rolling Stones’ track Street Fighting Man.
Ten years before becoming the first English side to win the European Cup, Manchester United found themselves decimated by the Munich Air Disaster. The tragic plane crash, which resulted in the death of eight players and three members of staff, made the Red Devils’ inspirational rise to the top all the more remarkable.
Survivors of the tragedy included future England captain Bobby Charlton and the team’s brilliant manager Matt Busby (pictured here, with his squad and the trophy). Alongside United legends like George Best and Denis Law, the pair played a vital role in the rebuild. On 29 May 1968, they beat Portuguese giants Benfica 4-1 in the final at Wembley.
On 19 September 1968, Concorde 002 made its first public appearance when it rolled out of its hangar at Filton, Bristol. It was the second prototype of the Anglo-French supersonic airliner, and seemed set to change airline travel forever. Those who know their aviation history, of course, will know that the good times didn’t last.
Back when this photograph was taken, at the British Aircraft Corporation, it would have surely felt like the future had arrived. At the bottom of the image, you can see just some of the workers who’d helped to build the plane. There was still much testing to be done before it would enter commercial service.
In early July 1969, The Rolling Stones staged one of the most famous gigs of all time. Put on in Hyde Park, and paying tribute to their late bandmate Brian Jones, the free show is thought to have pulled in somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000 people (nobody was counting).
The weather was so hot it put guitars out of tune and killed off butterflies before they could be released into the crowd. And with members of the Hells Angels motorbike gang running security, it was, it’s fair to say, a bit different from the polished gig experience of today. Pictured, Stones' frontman Mick Jagger moves around the stage in a white dress coat.
Standing pride of place in the nation’s figurative pantheon of comedy greats, you have the influential troupe known as Monty Python. Made up of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, the surrealist group’s influence is now so widespread that ‘pythonesque’ is even in the dictionary.
The first episode of their seminal comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus aired on 5 October 1969. Sketches that night included ‘famous deaths’ presented by Mozart, the writing of the funniest and deadliest joke in the world, and an interview with Arthur ‘Two Sheds’ Jackson.
Starring a young Michael Caine as Charlie Croker, the cheeky cockney criminal with a plan to steal gold bullion in Turin, The Italian Job is one of British cinema’s most iconic films. And on that, “You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off” might just be the most perfectly delivered line of dialogue ever.
Exhilarating scenes where red, white and blue Mini Coopers tear down historic streets and through colonnaded piazzas, as well as the ultimate cliffhanger ending, mean it endures as a cultural cornerstone. Here we see a promotional photo of Caine and the rest of the cast, posing with their getaway vehicles and the gold.