The Beatles Magical History Tour: A Soho to Savile Row Walk
About the Tour
Soho was where the Beatles’ journey from obscure Merseyside musicians to global superstars began.
On this walking tour, you’ll discover the Soho recording studios, exclusive nightclubs, live theatres and swish Mayfair offices, where Beatlemania began. The tour starts outside the Criterion Theatre at Piccadilly Circus near the London Pavilion, where the Beatles’ films premiered in the 1960s. You’ll navigate Soho’s narrow streets, including the alleyway used as a backdrop for a now-famous gritty 1963 photograph.
Along the way, you’ll pass Paul McCartney’s London headquarters, discover the Studios where Hey Jude was recorded, and learn how manager Brian Epstein transformed four scruffy teenagers into the world’s top boy band.
You’ll meander along the pedestrianised Soho passageway that defined 1960’s fashion, and stand outside the theatre where a live TV appearance in 1963 sparked a media frenzy. The tour ends at the building near Piccadilly Circus, where the Beatles performed their final public concert in 1969, bringing Mayfair traffic to a standstill and creating a sensation that stopped the world.
On this 90-minute tour, you’ll have a chance to:
- Stop outside the theatre where John Lennon outraged the audience with his comments
- Discover the location of the former club where Ringo proposed to his first wife
- See the site of the coffee bar where a chance 1960 meeting changed the fortune of the Beatles
- See Epstein’s former office, where business meetings shaped the band’s destiny
- Pass the jazz club owned by a session musician who played with the Beatles
- Admire a street mural based on the band’s most famous ever album cover
- Visit the location of the fashion house that dressed the boys
This tour captures the excitement of 1960’s Swinging London, while exploring the rags-to-riches transformation of the Fab Four.
Tour Producer
Mark Conroy
After London University and the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, Mark worked as an actor, TV & radio presenter, comedy writer and author.
Writing credits include Adventures in Noisy Places, Adventures in Famous Places and Adventures Around the Globe (Lonely Planet Kids). Mark was an in-house comedy writer at Live TV and has also written comedy scripts for Sir Bruce Forsyth, Roy Hudd, Armando Ianucci, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Anneka Rice, Robert Kilroy-Silk, Paul Ross, Jenny Powell and Angus Deayton.
TV presenter work includes the Stonehenge special, Legends of the Lost with Hollywood Star Megan Fox (Discovery), the documentary the Tudors (Showtime) Mat McLachlan’s Cold War London Spies and Spy-catchers, a UEFA TV Dortmund-Bayern Munich Final special at Wembley and Mark features in a King Charles III Coronation programme for Puerto Rico with former Miss World Wilnelia Forsyth.
Mark has also presented TV programmes on Sherlock Holmes (MM Productions), Road to the London 2012 Olympics (MM Productions), Royal London (MM Productions), Brick Lane (Blackstar), the Jack the Ripper murders in C’est au Programme (TF2 France) and the Little Venice canal for Waterfront Cities/Ports d’Attache (TV5 Discovery).
Mark has hosted many live history events for Hilton and the Daily Telegraph with Dr David Starkey, Peter Snow, Robert Hardy, Peter Ackroyd, Ann Widdecombe and Tony Benn MP.
Mark is an award-winning London Blue Badge Tourist Guide in English and French. He has also lectured, trained and examined guides for the Institute of Tourist Guides.
Apart from museums, galleries, stately homes, palaces, churches and themed walks including Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, Dickens, Royal London and the Beatles, Mark has even spent time on the floor in Studio One Abbey Road, translating beside the musical director, during a live recording session with a French choir.
The extensive list of celebrity guiding clients and companies includes, NFL’s Drew Brees, NFL’s Sean Lee, NBA’s Carmelo Anthony, Chelsea FC’s Didier Drogba, US Soccer’s Mary Schwappach, Boxer Cindy Serrano, Social Media’s Seyma Subasi, the CEO of Warner Brothers Kevin Sujihara, the head of ABC TV Paul Lee, BBC America, Turkish football team Galatasaray, the CEO of Hermes, the European MD of Nestle and the High Commissioner for Antigua & Barbuda Karen-Mae Hill.
Mark has been a guest expert on the Robert Elms Show (BBC Radio London), the Jo Good Show (BBC Radio London), the Salma El-Wardany Show (BBC Radio London), the Shay Kaur Grewal Show (BBC Radio London), the Toby Gribben Show (Shout Radio), Rik Anthony’s Someone You Should Know Podcast, Barbara Simpson's Hot Talk (560 KSFO San Francisco), the Mark & Kristin Show (Kost 103.5FM Los Angeles) and the Francis LeGault Show (CBC Canada).
Acting work includes Lindsay Anderson's West End production of the Cherry Orchard with Dame Joan Plowright, Frank Finlay & Leslie Phillips (Triumph Apollo) and a leading role in the sitcom Tandoori Nights (Channel 4) written by Dame Meera Syal.
Mark’s numerous commercials include McDonalds, KFC, VW, Karcher, Dommelsch Beer, Spanish Lottery and the Bank of Bilbao plus BBC voice-overs and trailers.
Mark is passionate about London’s history, culture, music and its people, aiming to inform and entertain...with a big smile.
Preview Location
Location 21
MPL, Soho Square
MPL building, with the brown façade, has been Paul's office HQ since 1970, where apparently he reconstructed Abbey Road's Studio 2 in the basement.
MPL stands for McCartney Productions Limited. He is often here when i... Read More
How VoiceMap Works
Major Landmarks
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Hard Rock Cafe
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Prince of Wales Theatre
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Leicester Square
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Chinatown
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Poppies Fish & Chips
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Soho Square
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Trident Studios plaque
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Carnaby Street
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The London Palladium
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3 Savile Row
Getting There
Route Overview
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Start location218-223 Piccadilly, London W1J 9HR, UK -
Total distance3km -
Final location3 Savile Row, London W1S 3PB, UK -
Distance back to start location395.04m
Directions to Starting Point
Exit Piccadilly Circus underground station and head towards the Statue of Eros. You will see the Criterion Theatre next to Lillywhites Department Store
Tips
Places to stop along the way
There are endless venues for refreshments and many restroom facilities en route. Mid-tour you will find lots of benches for a short break in Soho Square. The Soho area is filled with shops, bars, cafes and restaurants.
Best time of day
This tour is probably best in the daytime when the streets are less crowded but the evening is definitely an option too
Precautions
Make sure your mobile phone is secure and beware of pickpockets in busy areas.
Keep your eyes peeled for cyclists and traffic, as you would in any busy city. Sunblock and an umbrella should cover any weather situation.
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