Fitzroy laundromat reflects themes of the film My Beautiful Laundrette

A local laundromat on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, named ‘My Beautiful Laundrette’, serves as a point of reflection on the 1985 film of the same name. The film, produced by Stephen Frears and Hanif Kureishi and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, depicts the social and financial pressures of Thatcher-era South London through the story of a British-Pakistani man managing a rundown laundrette.

The Fitzroy establishment features vintage photographs of the area and a decommissioned washing machine memorializing a ‘Speed Queen’ from 1979-2018. Located opposite the Atherton Gardens housing estate, the laundromat provides a setting to contemplate local social dynamics and market economics.