The Burlington Shopping 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 time away from the lower-class riff-raff of London. Of course, Burlington Arcade also attracted its fair share of pickpockets. To avoid being caught by the security guards who patrolled the arcade, the pickpockets would whistle secret codes to alert each other of the presence of security guards. Once the security guards caught on to the practice, whistling was completely banned in the arcade. Today, there are only three people permitted to whistle in the Burlington Arcade. The first is none other than Paul McCartney of the Beatles. One day in 1980, McCartney was caught whistling in the Burlington Arcade. As a result, he was granted lifelong permission to break the no-whistling rule. He continued to be the only person allowed to whistle until 2011, when a security guard made a deal with a young boy that if the boy got a good school report, he would have permission to whistle in the arcade. Lo and behold, four years later the little boy came back with his good report, and he was given a “whistling permit.” Fast-forward to 2025 and Geert Chatrou — the three-time world champion whistler — became the third person given official permission to whistle down the arcade. In fact, to celebrate, he whistled a rendition of the Beatles’ “Love Me Do” as he walked down the Burlington Arcade.
