To say London is a capital of culture is quite the understatement, as so many iconic events, movements and superstars were either born here or made their name in the city.
The biggest band in history, The Beatles, not only named their last and (arguably) greatest album after the legendary Abbey Road studio in London. To this day, millions of people visit the iconic zebra crossing near the entrance that the Fab Four posed on in August 1969.
This was by far the most famous album cover in London, but on a guided tour of the city, you could potentially find dozens of other iconic locations where album cover photos were shot.
What makes this so special is that whilst some bands and artists capture the most iconic of London’s architecture, others make an otherwise mundane location iconic.
Honourable Mention: Mapledurham House
Whilst technically not in London, Mapledurham House is not only located on the River Thames, but given the final farewell of the band that made the building famous, it is too iconic to ignore.
Mapledurham House in nearby Oxfordshire is the historic house that was depicted on the cover of the very first self-titled Black Sabbath album in 1969, and it would convey the spirit of a band that would invent heavy metal music and continue to innovate until their final show in 2025.
Berwick Street, Soho
On the subject of reunions and farewells, Berwick Street is one of London’s great music hubs, filled with record stores, fashion and food.
However, on an early morning in 1995, local DJ Sean Rowley and designer Brian Cannon would pass each other on this street, and this moment would be immortalised on the album cover of Oasis’ world-conquering second album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory.
Given the Gallagher brothers’ “never say never” reunion three decades later, the location has an extra significance, even if older brother Noel claimed that he hated it and didn’t understand how it cost £25,000 to produce.
Manchester Square, Marylebone
Technically, the site of three historic albums, Manchester Square, highlights the rather unusual nature of London as a fast-moving, ever-changing place that still manages to retain considerable amounts of its heritage.
The spiral staircase of the since-demolished EMI Building was the site of three Beatles album covers, including their very first, Please Please Me.
This picture, which was later reused for the just as iconic “Red Album” (1962-1966), showed the young band cheekily smiling as they looked down the staircase, unaware of just how much higher they had to climb.
Rather fittingly, the last album ever made by The Beatles, the “Blue Album” (1967-1970), the band recreated this famous shot with the now older and more experienced Fab Four.
Sadly, the EMI Building was one of many historic landmarks in Beatles History that was ultimately demolished, but where it once stood is still iconic.
Battersea Power Station
An unsung hero of London culture, Battersea Power Station is one of the world’s largest brick buildings and would feature in a wide range of different films, television shows and even video games, with scenes from The Dark Knight, Red Dwarf and Watch Dogs: Legion taking place there.
However, its most iconic appearance has to be on the cover of Pink Floyd’s Animals, a flying pig floating between two of the chimneys.
The juxtaposition between the pig and the monument to British industry fits the brutal nature of the album’s themes of decay and dehumanisation in 1970s London, and Battersea has since become a fascinating and unique shopping and events venue in the decades since.
Heddon Street
Outside of Queen, who strangely never used London as a muse for any of their studio albums, David Bowie is perhaps the most famous of the city’s rock stars, and Heddon Street is where he captured one of his most iconic masterpieces.
The cover for the groundbreaking 1973 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was taken outside of a furrier known as K. West, and fans would take pictures under the shop’s sign until the business moved in 1991.
Still, it has continued to be one of the most iconic places associated with David Bowie in London, especially since it was designed by his childhood friend at Bromley Technical School, George Underwood.
Interestingly, the original photograph was taken in black and white and was recoloured later, which gives the location an otherworldly quality that fits perfectly with the distinctly alien persona David Bowie took on at the time.
