Oxford Street in 2016 was the setting for a long Saturday walk and a conversation about its future. Starting at Tottenham Court Road, I headed west towards Selfridges, then stopped for coffee in St Christopher’s Place. The question running through the film was what pedestrianisation might mean for this busy shopping street.
This Roberts London archive film was first published on 21 August 2016. The shops, traffic and proposals discussed here belong to that visit. At the time, I was interested in recording the street as it looked before any possible change.
Starting Oxford Street in 2016 at Tottenham Court Road
The morning began beside Tottenham Court Road station and Centre Point. I usually look for independent cafés, but Oxford Street’s consumer culture suggested a different breakfast stop. I went into McDonald’s for a double sausage and egg McMuffin, a hash brown and a double espresso.
The food satisfied a craving; the coffee did less well. That breakfast also became its own short film, covered in my McDonald’s breakfast on Oxford Street article. Here, it serves as the opening to the much longer walk.
After breakfast I stepped back outside near the Flying Horse pub. Buses and taxis were already passing, although the pavements still had plenty of space. It was a useful moment to look along the road before the main Saturday shopping crowds arrived.
A walk through the pedestrianisation debate
The reason for the visit was the renewed discussion about pedestrianising Oxford Street. In the film, I describe the ambition being discussed under the newly elected mayor, Sadiq Khan. I also make clear that a detailed solution still had to be worked out. This was a conversation about possibilities in 2016.
Walking west gave those questions a physical setting. The camera catches buses beside the kerb, people crossing between shops and the entrances to side streets. I was thinking aloud about how the road worked for everyone who used it, from shoppers to people travelling through on a bus.
I could see the appeal of giving pedestrians more room. A quieter street could make browsing and walking much more pleasant. However, the traffic had to go somewhere. My concern was that moving bus routes into neighbouring streets might move the problem as well.
Deliveries were another part of the discussion. The stores needed their stock brought in, so any proposal would have to consider access for goods as well as space for shoppers. I did not have a finished design to offer. The walk was a way of exploring those practical questions on the ground.
Oxford Circus, department stores and Selfridges
At Oxford Circus the walk crossed Regent Street, then continued towards the department stores farther west. The film preserves the shopfronts of the time and my impressions of the changing character of the street. It is also a reminder of how much a familiar place can contain in a short stretch.
Selfridges was the landmark I wanted to reach. Its large frontage marked the end of this outward walk, although Oxford Street continued beyond it. I mentioned that, when I came shopping here, Selfridges was often the reason for the trip.
By this point I was ready for another coffee. Rather than stay on the main pavement, I turned towards the narrow entrance to St Christopher’s Place. That small opening offered a change of pace just a few steps away from the buses.
Coffee in St Christopher’s Place
The passage into St Christopher’s Place is one of the details I wanted to show. From Oxford Street it looks easy to miss, yet it leads into a different arrangement of small streets and places to stop. In the film, I point out the entrance before heading inside.
I bought a filter coffee from Workshop Coffee and tried it outside. After the disappointing espresso at breakfast, this was a much happier coffee moment. My reaction was enthusiastic, and the pause gave the walking commentary a natural ending.
The contrast did not require a long detour. Looking back out of the passage, Oxford Street’s traffic was still close by. Inside, there was room to linger over a drink and reflect on the morning’s walk.
Returning to Oxford Circus as the crowds arrived
There was one more part to film. The early footage looked unusually quiet, so I returned to Oxford Circus to show it later in the day. Even then, the crowds took longer to build than I had expected, which became a running joke in the closing sequence.
By lunchtime, the crossing and pavements were busier. People moved between the shops while red buses passed through the junction. Seeing both visits together gives the film its clearest contrast: the same place, only a few hours apart, with a very different rhythm.
That changing street life is what I enjoy about this Oxford Street in 2016 archive. Alongside the planning discussion, it records a whole morning: breakfast, a long walk, a better cup of coffee and a return to the crowds.
Watch the full 2016 Oxford Street film
The original film runs for about 27 minutes. It includes the full walk and the opinions expressed on that day, followed by the later visit to Oxford Circus.
