1960s Britain

Harold Wilson's promise of a New Britain and 'the ending of economic privilege, the abolition of poverty in the midst of plenty and the creation of real equality of opportunity' heralded unprecedented social and cultural changes which characterized the period. The benefits of these changes were particularly enjoyed by the new 'teenagers', for whom life was all about fun, experimentation, permissiveness and freedom, breaking the rules as they went. The impact of popular music – especially The Beatles – and fashion – Mary Quant skirts, Vidal Sassoon hair and Biba – on these 'baby boomers' cannot be overestimated. For all generations, new design and technology influenced virtually every sphere of everyday life, from food to shopping, driving to holidays. Change swept the country, but was most acutely felt in London, described in 1966 as the 'swinging city.' Susan Cohen provides a highly illustrated lively account, punctuated with personal recollections, of what life was like for ordinary people in Britain during the Swinging Sixties.