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Peaky Blinders' London: A guide to the gang's real-life connections and locations in the capital

While Peaky Blinders is synonymous with the mean streets of Birmingham, the show’s ties with London run deep.

The fictionalised story of the real-life post-war gang (for which the show is named) traverses the UK’s criminal underworld in the inter-war years, with the family’s sphere of influence reaching Birmingham, London and New York.

The Peaky Blinders we see on the show, run by Cillian Murphy’s entirely fictional leader Tommy Shelby, are not a million miles away from the real gang, who gained notoriety following the first world war, recruiting young men across Birmingham and controlling illegal gambling operations. The first series of the show follows the family as they attempt to legitimize their business by taking over racetrack bookmaking pitches – something the real gang were very much involved in.

The early seasons of the show plot the gang’s growing stranglehold on Birmingham’s criminal underground, as well as their planned expansions into the capital. In that time, they come up against notorious criminals Charles ‘Darby’ Sabini, Billy Kimber and Alfie Solomons – all of whom are based on real-life criminals. With Tommy’s political ambitions taking focus in the later seasons, and Shelby introduced as an MP in the new series, London is more important to the story than ever.

Much like the rest of the show, the new series is expected to play fast and loose with history, and use a little artistic license to tell its story. But even so, Peaky Blinders draws a great deal of inspiration from London’s criminal history, and many of the historical references in the show ring true.

With series five beginning at 9pm on Sunday, and the second episode airing the very next day, these are the London connections and locations central to the Peaky Blinders legacy.

The Griffin, Clerkenwell

(Ewan Munro/Creative Commons)
(Ewan Munro/Creative Commons)

Darby Sabini played a major role in two series of Peaky Blinders, and his legacy in real life was just as notorious as depicted on the show. Sabini, played by Noah Taylor, was a real gangster with a stranglehold on the rackets of Clerkenwell and criminal activities in the City. While the series overstates his influence slightly, he was still one of the best known criminal bosses of the 20s, and a major player in the capital.

One of the most memorable scenes of the second series saw Tommy, Arthur and John pay the Sabini crime family a visit – smashing up Darby Sabini's club to assert themselves in their new territory. In reality, it was a far less glamorous place than the one depicted on-screen, but one that formed a significant location in the criminal underworld in the inter-war years. It was called the Eden Social Club, and located in Eden Street – then found near Euston Station. It no longer exists today, but it was once described by the Times as a ‘two storey premises above a motor garage’ – not quite the plush residence we see in the series.

The bulk of the Sabini operation, meanwhile, was run out of even humbler surroundings. The Griffin pub in Clerkenwell – which was turned into a strip club a few years back – was the headquarters of the gang for years. It also proved to be a pivotal location in Sabini’s rise to prominence. He first made a name for himself after coming face to face with the Elephant Gang in the pub – named because of their base in Elephant and Castle. Sabini repelled the gang’s attack, knocking out the rival gang leader and breaking his jaw.

As his influence in Clerkenwell waned over time, he moved his operation to west London before relocating to Brighton after the war – a move which inspired the character Colleoni in Graham Greene’s novel Brighton Rock.

Camden Market

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No-one had more fun on the set of Peaky Blinders than Tom Hardy. His performances as Jewish bootlegger and whisky smuggler Alfie Solomons was one of the most memorable things about the show before his untimely death in series four, and Hardy stole pretty much every scene his was in.

It might surprise some to learn that the character is based on a real-life Jewish gangster from the early 20th century, Alfie Solomon. While he probably wasn’t as powerful as the fictional portrayal suggests, he partnered with Sabini and ran protection rackets around Farringdon and Clerkenwell, becoming an important member of the operation.

Solomon was arrested in connection with the shooting of Birmingham gangster Billy Kimber, which took place outside of Sabini’s King's Cross flat in 1921.​ He was also charged in 1924 with the murder of the bookmaker Buck Enden and attempted murder of doorman Michael Abelson at Sabini’s Eden Social Club in Euston. It’s believed he served a three year sentence after being found guilty at the Old Bailey.

As the show depicts, he was also responsible for a large-scale whisky smuggling operation out of Camden’s Middle Yard, which later turned into Camden market. These days, the area, named Solomon’s Yard, hosts immersive 1920s inspired pop-up events every Thursday, Friday and Saturday – perfect for a blinding night out.

The Palace of Westminster

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

The end of the show’s fourth series saw Tommy Shelby elected Labour MP for Birmingham South, taking his influence from the streets of Birmingham to the Houses of Parliament. It’s the start of a new journey for Shelby, one which sees him meet Sam Claflin’s Sir Oswald Mosley – one of the figures behind the rise of fascism across Britain and further afield in the inter-war years.

While the show has ventured into Westminster politics before, after Tommy Shelby had direct dealings with Winston Churchill in series one, two and three, series five looks set to be the most London-centric series yet. The new trailer shows external shots of the Palace of Westminster, with Tommy taking his seat in the House of Commons and coming face to face with Mosley, who has ‘come to his attention’. Only time will tell how the show approaches Shelby’s relationship with Mosley, although viewers can be sure that the Houses of Parliament – one of the capital’s most iconic landmarks – will feature heavily.