Listen up Londoners: I am about to bestow upon you, quite possibly, the most random piece of knowledge you’re ever going to hear. Aren’t you lucky? A third person has recently been granted official permission to whistle inside Piccadilly’s oh-so boujee Burlington Arcade. And although that may not seem particularly exciting to you; I can assure that it actually really is.
The luxury London shopping arcade that’s been perched proudly on Piccadilly for over 200 years draws in quite a crowd. And it’s not too difficult to see why. It’s absolutely gorgeous, it’s full of history, and it comes with its very own rather unique set of rules. One of those rules being that it is strictly forbidden to whistle inside the arcade. But look, we all know that rules are made to be broken. Well, if you’re one of three very specific peoplethat is.
Why is it forbidden to whistle inside Burlington Arcade?
Now, in order for me to answer that question, I will need to whizz you through a very speedy Secret London history lesson. Take your seats, everybody – class is about to commence. Burlington Arcade opened its doors in 1819 as London’s original department store. Built as a high-end haven specifically for the rich and powerful people of London; it was a place for them to stroll, shop, and spend their timeaway from the lower-class riff-raff of London.
But – of course – alongside the high and mighty; Burlington Arcade also attracted its fair share of pickpockets. To avoid being caught by the beadles who patrolled the arcade, the pickpockets would supposedly whistle secret codes to alert each other of a beadle’s presence. Ones the beadles cottoned on to this, whistling was completely banned in Burlington Arcade.
Who is officially allowed to whistle inside Burlington Arcade?
Picture the scene: it’s a random day in the 1980s, and you’re hard at work, enforcing the rules of Burlington Arcade and ensuring that no funny business is taking place. And then you hear somebody whistling, so, of course, you have to stop them. And then you realise that the person whistling is none other than Paul McCartney. That’s right, folks – Paul McCartney was caught whistling in Burlington Arcade and, as a result, was somehow granted lifelong permission to break the no-whistling rule. Paul McCartney continued as the only person in the world allowed to whistle in the arcade until 2011, when the second person was granted that same very special privilege.
Now, the name of the second person was never actually revealed. What we do know, however, is that a young boy was in Burlington Arcade with his family, and they got chatting to one of the beadles. The little boy was taught all about the history of the arcade and was fascinated by the no-whistling rule (I mean, aren’t we all?). The beadle struck a deal with him that if he got a good school report, they’d give him a permit to whistle in the arcade. Low and behold, four years later, that same little boy came back with his good report, and he was given his whistling permit.
Fast-forward to 2025, and the third person in the shopping mall’s 206 year history has just been given official permission to whistle down the wind arcade. Geert Chatrou (who just so happens to be a three-time world-champion whistler) is the new whistler on the block. Currently serving as the ringmaster in Cirque du Soleil at the Royal Albert HallChatrou is now allowed to hum a merry tune inside the luxury locale. And, last week, to mark the occasion (and honour his fellow whistlers), he did exactly that. Chatrou was recently seen whistling a rendition of ‘Love Me Do’ by The Beatles and ‘Mamma Mia’ inside the arcade. And I can confirm – no beadles tried to stop.
So, there you have it – the fascinating history behind the whistling ban of Burlington Arcade. You never know when you might need that little knowledge bomb. You are most welcome.
