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63-504: Denmark Street is a street on the edge of London's West End running from Charing Cross Road to St Giles High Street . It is near St Giles in the Fields Church and Tottenham Court Road station . The street was developed in the late 17th century and named after Prince George of Denmark . Since the 1950s it has been associated with British popular music , first via publishers and later by recording studios and music shops. A blue plaque

126-553: A London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates. It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing , social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health. The council licenses street trading throughout

189-553: A London physician who published A Treatise on Vapours or Hysteric Fits , lived at No. 10 in 1730, while the Reverend Doctor John James Majendie – who became Canon of Windsor – lived there from 1758 to 1771. The painter Johann Zoffany lived at No. 9. In the late 18th century, the Jacobite Sir John Murray lived there until the day he was "carried off by a party of strange men". The area around

252-518: A comparable heritage to Denmark Street. A small court connected by passages (originally known as Dudley Court, then Denmark Court and now known as Denmark Place) runs along the back of the north side of the street, connecting to it via an opening at No. 27. The street started being used for commercial purposes at the beginning of the 19th century and houses were converted for this use. Ground floors became used as shops, while upper floors and back rooms were used as workshops, particularly for metalwork, with

315-475: A fundamental contribution to the special character of Denmark Street and support associated retail provision." Footnotes Citations Bibliography 51°30′55″N 0°07′46″W  /  51.51528°N 0.12944°W  / 51.51528; -0.12944 West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End ) is a district of Central London , London, England, west of

378-417: A hub for major guitarists of the day. In April 2014, a number of music industry figures, including disc jockey Mike Read , unveiled a blue plaque above the premises that included a QR Code to access a multimedia presentation about the history of music. In 1970 Bernie Taupin and Elton John wrote " Your Song ", John's first hit single, at No. 20 Denmark Street. John had started work at a music publisher in

441-490: A rare pre-Victorian smithy, later a blacksmith's forge, surviving (in a building originally constructed as a stable) in Denmark Place, behind no. 26 Denmark Street. Augustus Siebe , the pioneer of the diving helmet, lived and worked on the street, and today there is an English Heritage blue plaque commemorating him on the house where he lived. Preempting its later fame, an early musical instrument maker, William John Hanbury,

504-528: A report in The Independent judged the protest to be misguided, as most shops along the street were still trading. Opened in 2022, a new and enlarged venue "The Lower Third" has been constructed on the site, incorporating the previous 12 Bar Club/"forge" building as one of its function rooms. On the corner of the street with Charing Cross Road is Chris Bryant's Musical Instruments. Denmark Street Guitars claims to have over 3,000 instruments in stock and to have

567-597: A studio in the ground floor, which was used to record Donovan 's hit, " Catch The Wind ". The Carter & Lewis songwriting partnership evolved when John Carter and Ken Lewis arrived in London in 1959 and decided "if you want to be in the music business, that [Denmark Street] was the place to be, that was the rule". Session musicians such as Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones regularly played in Denmark Street studios. In 1964, The Kinks recorded " You Really Got Me " in one of

630-470: A utensil for preparing a Christmas 1980 party. The last major music publisher in the street, Peer Music, moved from No. 8 in 1992, completing the gradual transformation of premises from publishers to instrument stores. In May 1990, Andy Preston, owner of Andy's Guitars, set up a traders association and attempted to have the street re-branded as "Music Land", similar to Drury Lane being marked Theatreland and Gerrard Street as Chinatown . Helter Skelter

693-602: Is "The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Camden", but it styles itself Camden Council. From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council . The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention , and refuse disposal ; with

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756-474: Is a Grade II listed building. In 2010, Camden London Borough Council identified the street and adjacent properties as a Conservation Area. In 2013, the council announced that Denmark Street would be redeveloped by the architectural firm ORMS as part of a major development in conjunction with the Crossrail construction work around Tottenham Court Road tube station and Centre Point . The proposed development includes

819-441: Is currently based at No. 19. It was founded by The Zombies ' Rod Argent as a keyboard shop and was previously based next door, at No. 20. Since then it has undergone two changes of owners and now specialises in sheet music and DVD sales, covering a wide variety of styles including jazz and classical . Rose, Morris & Co have been established in Denmark Street since 1919. Originally based at No. 11, they now occupy No. 10 in

882-404: Is instead provided by the leader of the council . The leaders since 1965 have been: *Councillor Pat Callaghan took on the role of Acting Leader during Gould's maternity leave from September 2023 until early 2024 and then again during July 2024 following Gould's resignation upon being elected as an MP. Following the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections up to May 2024, the composition of

945-433: Is listed at No. 20 in 1836. In the 1930s, several Japanese businesses were established in the street, which became known as "Little Tokyo". Azakami and Co. at No. 6 sold books, newspapers, televisions and radios. The Tokiwa restaurant and hotel were based at No. 8 and No. 22, respectively, having moved from Charing Cross Road in 1927. Other businesses included a hairdresser, jewellers, tailor and gift shop. Lawrence Wright

1008-451: Is now only allowed to travel westbound. The nearest London Underground station is Tottenham Court Road , between two and three minutes' walk away. The land on which Denmark Street stands was formerly part of the grounds of St Giles Hospital, founded as a house for lepers in the early 12th century by Henry I 's wife Matilda (Maud). In 1612, it was recorded as being owned by Tristram Gibbs. The grounds were laid out for development during

1071-520: The City of London and north of the River Thames , in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings and entertainment venues, including West End theatres , are concentrated. The term was first used in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross . The West End covers parts of the boroughs of Westminster and Camden . While

1134-484: The City of London is the main financial district in London, the West End is the main commercial and entertainment centre of the city. It is the largest central business district in the United Kingdom. It is one of the most expensive locations in the world in which to rent commercial and office space. Medieval London comprised two adjacent cities – the City of London in the east, and the City of Westminster in

1197-610: The City of Westminster wards is called " West End ". This electoral unit includes some of the most prosperous areas of the borough, including Soho , Mayfair and parts of southern Marylebone . The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 10,575. The West End is laid out with many notable public squares and circuses. London Underground stations in the West End include: 51°30′48″N 0°07′43″W  /  51.51333°N 0.12861°W  / 51.51333; -0.12861 Camden London Borough Council The London Borough of Camden and its council were created under

1260-600: The Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions. The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of

1323-509: The London Government Act 1963 , with the first election held in 1964 . For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's three outgoing authorities, being the councils of the three metropolitan boroughs of Hampstead , Holborn and St Pancras . The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old boroughs and their councils were abolished. The council's full legal name

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1386-503: The Palace of Westminster (now home to parliament ), and is largely contained within the City of Westminster (one of the 32 London boroughs ). Following initial development by Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans in the 1660s, during the late 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, it was built as a series of palaces, expensive town houses, fashionable shops and places of entertainment. The areas closest to

1449-694: The Small Faces , often socialised in the Gioconda café at No. 9. Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote songs at offices on the street in the 1960s, while the Sex Pistols lived above No. 6, and recorded their first demos there. The comic book store Forbidden Planet and the Helter Skelter music bookshop have also been based on the street. In the 2010s, the surrounding area was redeveloped. Parts of Denmark Street are listed to protect them, but other parts, away from

1512-442: The 12 Bar Club's closure and clearance of Enterprise Studios on Denmark Place, a group of musicians and supporters squatted in the club's premises and staged a demonstration in the street, protesting against redevelopment. Former owner of Creation Records , Alan McGee supported the protestors, saying "you really couldn’t say a bad word against any of them. And they know the law, so they can't just be thrown out of there." However,

1575-485: The City around Holborn , Seven Dials , and Covent Garden contained poorer communities that were cleared and redeveloped in the 19th century. As the West End is a term used colloquially by Londoners and is not an official geographical or municipal definition, its exact constituent parts are up for debate. Westminster City Council 's 2005 report Vision for the West End included the following areas in its definition: Covent Garden , Soho , Chinatown , Leicester Square ,

1638-578: The Moneygoround, Part One . Manager Malcolm McLaren asked architect Ben Kelly to refurbish a basement rehearsal room he had bought from Badfinger . The Sex Pistols rehearsed in this room, lived above No. 6, and recorded their first demos there. Johnny Rotten drew cartoons of the members as graffiti which was later revealed in an archaeological survey of the site. Scott Gorham bought his first guitar with Thin Lizzy on Denmark Street. He had turned up at

1701-626: The Rose Morris '1996', the equivalent of a Rickenbacker 325 model but with f-foles, or the Rose Morris '1999' model, the equivalent of a Rickenbacker 4001 bass guitar. There has been a recording studio in the basement of No. 22 since Tin Pan Alley Studios was established in 1954. It was founded by session violinist Ralph Elman, and was previously the premises of the Acid Jazz Records label. In 2013, producer Guy Katsav took over management of

1764-477: The Sex Pistols used to hang out there. To sit back and watch the transformation happen without saying something is not an idea that I’m into.” Denmark Street has eight Grade II listed buildings . Though the refurbishment plans allow modernisation of these buildings, the council are keen to ensure that the affected properties remain solely in use for the music industry. A report added, "Music industry activities make

1827-410: The audition with a Japanese Les Paul Copy—when he got the job, Phil Lynott took him shopping on Denmark Street. After being told several guitars were too expensive, he settled on a Sunburst Gibson Les Paul Deluxe . Andy's Guitars was established in 1978 at No. 27 and survived for many years before closing in 2007 because of increased shop rates. The comic and science-fiction bookshop Forbidden Planet

1890-504: The basement studios. Musicians often socialised in the Gioconda café at No. 9. David Bowie recruited his first backing band, The Lower Third, in the bar, while the Small Faces formed after the original members socialised at the Gioconda. Other regular patrons included David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix . Macaris was the first modern music shop to open on the street in 1965 followed by Top Gear Music , opening in 1969 and soon Denmark St became

1953-493: The borough, including the following markets: The council has been under Labour majority control since 2010. The first election to the council was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows: The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Camden. Political leadership

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2016-545: The boroughs (including Camden) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection . The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees. Camden became a local education authority in 1990 when the Inner London Education Authority was dissolved. Since 2000

2079-744: The construction of an 800-seat subterranean performance venue. Numbers 1–6 and 17–21 Denmark Place, which run parallel along the back of the street, and the York and Clifton Mansions will be demolished, along with partial demolition of No. 21 Denmark Street. The scheme has been condemned by the local music industry and shopkeepers. Writer Henry Scott-Irvine launched a petition to stop the planned redevelopment, which has gathered 10,000 signatures. In an interview to Mojo , Scott-Irvine said "This should be stopped", adding that Denmark Street "should be given full heritage status like Covent Garden Market , Hatton Garden and Savile Row ". He discovered that, although demolition

2142-524: The council was as follows: The next election is due in May 2026. The council meets at Camden Town Hall on Judd Street, which was completed in 1937 for the old St Pancras Borough Council, originally being known as St Pancras Town Hall. The council's main offices are at 5 Pancras Square, which was purpose-built for the council as part of the regeneration of the King's Cross area, being completed in 2014. Prior to 2014

2205-578: The council's main offices were at the Town Hall Annexe, which had been completed in 1977 at the corner of Argyle Street and Euston Road , immediately east of the Town Hall. The Town Hall Annexe was subsequently converted into a hotel. Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 55 councillors representing 20 wards , with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The wards are: In 2012 it

2268-407: The districts falling within the West End are Mayfair , Soho , Covent Garden , Fitzrovia and Marylebone . By this definition, the West End borders Temple , Holborn and Bloomsbury to the east, Regent's Park to the north, Paddington , Hyde Park and Knightsbridge to the west, and Victoria and Westminster to the south. Other definitions include Bloomsbury within the West End. One of

2331-501: The end of the 1950s, the street had established itself as Britain's " Tin Pan Alley " and housed numerous music publishers and other venues connected with the business. Larry Parnes became a successful manager and entrepreneur of pop singers during the mid-1950s, and regularly took material from songwriters and publishers based in Denmark Street. Lionel Bart , writer of the musical Oliver! , started his writing career for publishers and

2394-653: The former offices of Southern Music Publishing. The company became the first British distributor of Rickenbacker guitars in 1962, which had a surge in popularity after musicians noticed the Beatles' John Lennon playing one. Rose Morris purchased instruments directly from Rickenbacker's factory instead of their sales office, in order to keep up with demand. The models that were ordered by Rose Morris from Rickenbacker and that were then sold and distributed in Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand had unique model designations such as

2457-400: The government, and home to universities and embassies . The modern West End is closely associated with this area of central London. Lying to the west of the historic Roman and medieval City of London, the West End was long favoured by the rich elite as a place of residence because it was usually upwind of the smoke drifting from the crowded City. It was close to the royal seat of power at

2520-414: The information about the ban under a Freedom of Information request, claimed that "the public are right to be worried that their privacy is at risk across a range of government services." Following Freedom of Information requests in 2020, it was discovered that only 16% of Camden's employees live within the borough, and that many of its employees live as far afield as Scotland and Northern Ireland. It

2583-695: The largest selection of guitars in the UK. Regent Sounds, formerly the recording studio, which specialises in Fender and Gretsch guitars and Essex Music at No. 4; the Alleycat Bar and Club sits in the basement below the store. No.Tom Vintage and Classic Guitars has a store at No. 6. Macaris, a guitar retailer, was established in 1958 and specialises in Gibson models. As well as their shop at No. 25, they have an additional shop nearby on Charing Cross Road. The sheet music shop Argents

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2646-451: The premises, renaming them Denmark Street Studios. The office and attic flat of private detective Cormoran Strike was located above the 12 Bar Club . The entrance is described as a "nondescript, black-painted doorway ... to the left of the 12 Bar Café." In 2017, English singer and musician Yungblud released "Tin Pan Boy", a song about the construction project on Tin Pan Alley. Speaking of

2709-445: The redevelopment, he said: “I spent most of my childhood on Denmark Street, Soho, London, it’s where I first picked up a guitar. At the moment there is a massive redevelopment going on which will eventually force a lot of independent businesses out of the area – I have a real connection to all the music and art stores and to see people trying to tear out its soul makes me super upset and really pissed off...Everyone from Jagger to Lennon to

2772-399: The reign of James II and developed by Samuel Fortrey and Jacques Wiseman in the late 1680s. Historical evidence suggests the street was formed between 1682 and 1687, as it was not shown on Morden and Lea's Map of 1682. It was named after Prince George of Denmark , who had married Princess Anne in 1683. By 1691, 20 houses had been completed, of which eight remain standing. Dr John Purcell,

2835-509: The second floor which was a late-night bar frequented by locals including Irish and Jamaican immigrants. On 16 August 1980 John Thompson, a local petty criminal, was ejected from The Spanish Rooms following a fight which may have been caused by a dispute about being overcharged. Thompson returned shortly thereafter and poured petrol into the ground floor of the building and ignited it. The Denmark Place fire resulting from this act of arson killed 37 people from eight different nationalities and

2898-526: The shopping streets of Oxford Street , Regent Street and Bond Street , the area encompassing Trafalgar Square , the Strand and Aldwych , and the district known as Theatreland . The Edgware Road to the north-west and the Victoria Embankment to the south-east were also covered by the document but were treated as "adjacent areas" to the West End. According to Ed Glinert's West End Chronicles (2006)

2961-572: The street in 1963, and Taupin wrote the lyrics while sitting on the roof ("I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss") while waiting for John one morning. They mentioned the street in their 1974 song "Bitter Fingers", on the semi-autobiographical concept album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy . Also in 1970, a song named "Denmark Street" appeared on the Kinks ' album Lola versus Powerman and

3024-535: The street itself, were demolished and redeveloped. Denmark Street is located at the southern end of the London Borough of Camden , close to its boundary with the London Borough of Westminster . It is east of Soho Square , south of St Giles Circus and close to the St Giles in the Fields Church . The street is 108 metres (354 ft) long and connects Charing Cross Road with St Giles High Street. Vehicular traffic

3087-480: The street was known as the rookery of St Giles, which developed in the 18th century as an unplanned slum to the west of the City, and was described as a "Pandora's box of pollution, plague and pestilence". Though much of the area was cleared by the end of the 19th century, Denmark Street is the only street in London to retain 17th-century terraced facades on both sides. In 2010, a study by Camden London Borough Council suggested that only six other streets in London have

3150-463: The street. Regent Sound Studio at No. 4 was founded in July 1961 to serve as a unit for publishers to record their songs. The studio was based above the offices of Essex Music and was frequently used by then Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham . The band recorded their first album at Regent in 1964 and the single " Not Fade Away " became their first major hit to be recorded there. Oldham liked the atmosphere in

3213-487: The street. The clubs were housed in buildings that had previously functioned as a hostel for musicians, which adjoined a music shop on the street, and the fire brigade had insisted that a fire escape be fitted. By the time the clubs were in operation, the shop had closed and the fire escape had fallen into disrepair. 18 Denmark Place was home to two such clubs; on the first floor was "Rodo's", a salsa club popular with South American immigrants and above that "The Spanish Rooms" on

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3276-452: The studio as he could "stretch out a bit, experiment and learn from our mistakes". The studios eventually expanded and moved into new premises on Tottenham Court Road, while the Denmark Street premises became the sales office. They were subsequently bought by Eddie Kassner at the end of the 1960s. Publishers Box and Cox had their offices at No. 7. Their greatest hit was " I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts ". Southern Music, at No. 8, also had

3339-429: The west. Over time they came to form the centre of modern London, although each kept its own distinct character and its separate legal identity (for example, the City of London has its own police force and is a distinct county ). The City of London became a centre for the banking, financial, legal and professional sectors, while Westminster became associated with the leisure, shopping, commerce, and entertainment sectors,

3402-471: Was also discovered that senior employees were more likely to live further away from Camden, with a spokesperson saying that finding employees with specialised skillsets near to the borough was 'almost impossible'. Camden stated in response that all their staff are provided with one day's extra leave for volunteering, with a 'focus on Camden'. Statistics also showed that only a single employee lived in Camden's three Central London wards, despite comprising almost

3465-439: Was described as the worst fire in London in terms of loss of life since World War II. Thompson was imprisoned having been convicted of murder and died in prison in 2008 on the anniversary of the tragedy. Numbers 1–3 had become a Job Centre by the 1980s, specialising in vacancies for the catering industry. The serial killer Dennis Nilsen worked there and brought in a large cooking pot, in which he had boiled his victims heads, as

3528-540: Was established at No. 23 in 1978 before moving to New Oxford Street and becoming an international chain. When Douglas Adams attempted to attend a signing for the first The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy book in October 1979, the queue to the shop was so long that Adams thought a demonstration was taking place elsewhere. By 1980, there were a number of unlicensed nightclubs operating on Denmark Place, running adjacent to

3591-458: Was originally stables, built in 1635, before becoming a blacksmiths until after World War I. It closed in January 2015 as part of the redevelopment work, while the actual smithy (forge) in which it had operated was retained intact as a historic building, being moved temporarily by crane after stabilization so that construction could be carried out beneath it, then replaced in its original position. After

3654-451: Was reported that Camden Council was one of several local authorities to have been banned from accessing information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency . This information is normally made available to local authorities for purposes such as enforcing parking fines, but access can be withdrawn if they are found to be mis-using the service. The Big Brother Watch organisation, which obtained

3717-415: Was scheduled to start in late 2014, the plans were approved by the newly elected borough council. Consolidated Developments, developers for the new site, stated they were "committed to preserving and enhancing the rich musical heritage of Tin Pan Alley". The 12 Bar Club was at No. 26 Denmark Street, a small live music venue with a capacity of about 100 people which was established in 1994. The building

3780-461: Was set up as a bookshop dedicated to music titles in 1995 by Sean Body. The shop operated at the old Essex Music and Regent Sound building at No. 4 until rising rents forced it to close in 2004. In 2009, Denmark Street was identified in English Heritage 's "Heritage at Risk" register as being at risk in view of the nearby development of Crossrail . Particular attention was drawn to No. 26, which

3843-568: Was subsequently known as "the king of Denmark Street". The music publishing trade on Denmark Street began to decline during the 1960s, as the traditional producers lost touch with changing tastes and groups like the Rolling Stones showed it was possible to write their own material. For example, Paul Simon was based in London at this time but Mills Music , at No. 20, told him that his songs " Homeward Bound " and " The Sound of Silence " were uncommercial. Recording studios began to be operated in

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3906-510: Was the first music publisher to set up premises on Denmark Street in 1911. He was initially based at No. 8 and moved to No. 11 after World War I. He subsequently founded the musicians' journal Melody Maker in 1926. The same year, another music publisher, Campbell Connelly, moved from their original offices in Tottenham Court Road to Denmark Street. The New Musical Express was founded at No. 5 in 1952 and remained there until 1964. By

3969-602: Was unveiled in 2014 commemorating the street's importance to the music industry. The street was originally residential, but became used for commercial purposes in the 19th century. At first, metalwork was a popular trade but it became most famous as "the British Tin Pan Alley " housing numerous music publishers' offices. This market declined in the 1960s to be replaced by music shops and independent recording studios. The Rolling Stones recorded at Regent Sound Studio at No. 4 and popular musicians, including David Bowie and

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