Coffee drinking in the UK predates Costa and Starbucks – believe it or not. Notice how quiet Soho seems to be – and how little sidewalk activity there is. Nowadays you can’t walk down the sidewalks they’re so full of chairs and tables and signs and rubbish bins.
See the whole series:
http://www.retronaut.co/2010/03/soho-coffee-bars-1959-in-colour/