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The Hippydilly Squat

A group of hippies occupied a sixty-room mansion in central London in September 1969. It was number 144 Piccadilly and it became a focus for alternative culture.

A group of hippies known as the London Street Commune occupied a sixty-room mansion in central London in September 1969. 144 Piccadilly became a flash point for the conflict between alternative culture and the mainstream – and it was later cleared by the police. Lucy Burns speaks to Richie Gardener, who was one of the squatters.

Picture credit: A policeman removes a flag from the balcony of 144 Piccadilly as squatters are evicted from the building, London, 21st September 1969. (Photo by Terry Disney/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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9 minutes

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Wed 13 Sep 2017 07:50GMT

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  • Wed 13 Sep 2017 07:50GMT

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