LeicesterSquare_1928 soundscape

In 1928, the sonic environment of Leicester Square used to be described as a medley of transportation noises dominated by motor horns. The excessive use of it was the biggest cause of public reaction. A series of records of street noises were taken in this location as part of the Daily Mail investigation on the same year, and this time, it was revealed that the sound of the motor-cycle engines can surpass the rest of the traffic noise. It was found ‘inexcusable’. In the related newspaper article titled ‘The Worst Noise’, there is also a mention of the sound of the builders hammering steel structures which can appear in almost every nearby street. The recordings which were taken in five different locations including Leicester Square played an important part in convincing the Home Office that the noise problem was serious enough to make special regulations. The project had been successful and after the demonstration of the recordings officially (Home Office) and publicly (BBC broadcast), a draft to regulate excessive horns in traffic was introduced. Source: Daily Mail, 14.09.1928, ‘The Worst Noise’, Issue: 10107, p.9 and ‘Quieter Motor Horns’, 26.10.1928, Issue: 10143, p.11. Once you`ve listened to the 1928 soundscape, please fill in this anonymous google form http://bit.ly/LSNleicester

HUSH City app If you want to anonymously share the current soundscape of the location you are in with the community, please install the Hush City app. The recordings will be then publicly available here https://map.opensourcesoundscapes.org Android http://bit.ly/AndroidHush iOS http://bit.ly/HushLSN When answering the first question “What prompted you to record this sound?” please reply “LSN”, so that we can identify the recording as part of the London Street Noises project.