I’ve written before about the lighting up of London’s major Shopping Thoroughfares for the festive season and how it brightens up the cold, dark winter days – but my previous posts have all been about the most famous of central London’s shopping thoroughfares, Oxford Street. It seemed only fair to let its near neighbour, Regent Street, get a look in too, so I really had to share these cheery photographs of the Regent Street Christmas lights from 1969.

Regent Street was developed during the early 19th century, and was named after George, the Prince Regent (yes, that Prince Regent, as played by Hugh Laurie in Blackadder the Third). One of the earliest examples of urban planning in Britain, it was the work of the famed Georgian-era architect John Nash and the hugely successful property developer James Burton. This made it a showpiece development and one of London’s most visible and well known examples of royal patronage at the time.

The image at the top of the post is looking from Oxford Circus towards Piccadilly Circus, and the photo above is from the same spot but looking towards the Langham Place end of Regent Street. I love the blurry glow of the Christmas trees above Garrards the jewellers on the right of the latter picture!

And as a bonus, here is a photograph of urban Christmas lights from over a hundred years ago. This festive message dates back to 1916, and was snapped on Canal Street in New Orleans – a city that definitely knows how to party, all year round!

For more Christmassy posts to light up your day, click here.