Looking back: 15 classic photos show how groovy Peterborough was in the 1960s

“The greatest decade in the history of mankind” is how Danny (Ralph Brown) memorably describes the 1960s in the legendary cult British comedy film, Withnail & I.Looking back, it’s hard to disagree. Remember, this was a decade characterised by ‘Flower Power’ and ‘Peace and Love’, a time when counter-cultural idealists were standing up to the establishment and questioning antiquated views on everything from civil rights, contraception to illegal homosexuality and the class divide.It was also a period that saw some of the most exciting innovations in popular culture ever recorded.

A time when The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones – along with countless other artists – ripped up the pop music rulebook to create some of the most iconic songs and albums (and album covers) of all time.

It was a time when landmark London thoroughfares like Carnaby Street and the King’s Road were effectively ground zero for world fashion, and when influential artists like Peter Blake, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein turned the art world completely on its head.

Legendary super-spies like James Bond and Harry Palmer first hit the cinema screens, and legendary film directors like Kubrick, Kurosawa, Hitchcock, Bergman, Leone and Godard were all at the peak of their powers.

Oh, and the Yanks even managed to put someone on the moon.The 60s was a special time alright.

But were things ‘swinging’ in Peterborough in quite the same way at that time? Well, no; not quite. Peterborough still had something of a provincial vibe back then and, as such, Carnaby Street may have seemed about as close as California to many Peterborians.

And yet, there’s no doubting our fine city did undergo a period of social and physical change during that period, albeit at a rather more modest pace than Soho or Haight-Ashbury. Peterborians were just as groovy as their Cockney and Scouse idols though, revelling in the fashions, ideals and ambitions which came to symbolise that uniquely special decade.Some of you may remember it well; many of you will not.

Either way, now would be a good time to dig out your (vinyl) copy of Sgt Peppers, fire up that dusty lava lamp, and soak up these wonderful photos, which Peterborough Images have shared with us form their groovy archive.

SEE MORE: Looking back: Remembering long-gone Peterborough boozers from the 1970s