Destinations Magazine

Friday Is Rock'n'Roll London Day: Ashes To Ashes At Abbey Road

By Lwblog @londonwalks
Friday is Rock'n'Roll London Day on The Daily Constitutional!

The Rock'n'Roll London Walk meets at Tottenham Court Road Station every Friday at 2pm.
DC Editor Adam writes…

From time-to-time, we spot a famous musician along the route of my Rock'n'Roll London walk. This is London and, as I state in the voice over for the Rock'n'Roll London video, all roads lead here as the capital of the music biz in this country.
But the most memorable sighting along the route of any of my London Walks involved not a star, but an ordinary person.
On any other day, she would have been as anonymous on any London street as you or me. And on any other day I wouldn't have given her a second glance.
I was leading a private musical London tour for a family from New York. It was an all-morning tour and we had taken a taxi to finish at the famous Abbey Road crossing.
We were waiting for the traffic and the crowds to calm down a little so that I could snap the obligatory photo of the family on the world's most famous cross walk. As we waited our turn, I noticed that one woman was crossing back and forth. Not in a conspicuous way. She would walk, at a regular pace from one side of the road to the other, pause for a few moments, and then cross back.
It's not uncommon for fans to pose for two-or-three "takes" - if you've come a long way to get this shot then it would be a shame if it wasn't right.
But as we waited for our turn - it was a particularly busy morning at Abbey Road – something caught my eye as the woman, in her 50s, maybe her 60s, crossed again.
It first glance I thought she was smoking - a cigarette or vape contraption was creating wispy clouds from her hand (Paul, after all, has a fag on the go in the famous sleeve picture).
But the cloud wasn't drifting up. It was falling down.
It was then I realised… she was scattering ashes. Solemn and discreet, she was carrying out the last request of a loved one.
A most moving scene. Elegiac yet strangely joyful.   
Friday Is Rock'n'Roll London Day: Ashes To Ashes At Abbey Road
Join me on The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour this Sunday 11am Tottenham Court Road tube.

The Rock'n'Roll London Walk meets at 2pm Tottenham Court Road station (exit 1) every Friday all year round – and every Wednesday at 7pm from 7th March 2017. You can follow the Rock'n'Roll London Walk on Facebook – www.facebook.com/musictourslondon
Here's the trailer…

A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
Friday Is Rock'n'Roll London Day: Ashes To Ashes At Abbey RoadFriday Is Rock'n'Roll London Day: Ashes To Ashes At Abbey RoadFriday Is Rock'n'Roll London Day: Ashes To Ashes At Abbey RoadFriday Is Rock'n'Roll London Day: Ashes To Ashes At Abbey RoadFriday Is Rock'n'Roll London Day: Ashes To Ashes At Abbey RoadFriday Is Rock'n'Roll London Day: Ashes To Ashes At Abbey RoadFriday Is Rock'n'Roll London Day: Ashes To Ashes At Abbey RoadFriday Is Rock'n'Roll London Day: Ashes To Ashes At Abbey RoadFriday Is Rock'n'Roll London Day: Ashes To Ashes At Abbey Road

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