👃 The Legend of London’s Seven Noses: Where to Find Them (and Why They Exist)

Part scavenger hunt. Part surrealist joke. Entirely, wonderfully pointless.

In a city built on secrets, some of the best ones are hiding right in front of your face.

If you walk through Soho, Covent Garden, or Westminster and happen to glance sideways at just the right time… you might spot a nose. A real nose. A protruding, life-sized, stone-carved human nose.

No plaque. No explanation. No sense.
Just a schnozz, mounted proudly to a wall — defiant, absurd, and entirely ignored by the people rushing past.

Welcome to one of London’s most wonderfully pointless urban legends:
The Seven Noses of Soho.

🕵️‍♀️ The Story Behind the Noses

In 1997, a cheeky and brilliant artist named Rick Buckley became fed up with the city’s increasing surveillance. CCTV cameras were popping up everywhere — watching silently, without consent.

In response, Buckley decided to fight back the only way an artist can: with weirdness.

He began installing plaster casts of his own nose on buildings across central London — especially beneath CCTV cameras — as a silent, surreal protest. No press releases. No signage. Just the occasional beak poking out from a stone wall.

There were around 35 noses at first, but most were removed or damaged. Now, just seven remain, hidden in plain sight.

👃 Where to Find the Noses

Here are the best-known surviving schnozzes. Finding them is part of the charm — there are no official plaques, and some have even moved locations slightly over the years. Bring your curiosity (and maybe a coffee).

1. Admiralty Arch, Westminster

The most famous nose — legend says soldiers used to rub it for luck before parades. Others claim it’s Napoleon’s. It’s not. But it’s brilliant.

→ Nearest tube: Charing Cross or Embankment

2. Great Windmill Street, Soho

Mounted above an unassuming doorway, this one is surprisingly high up — which adds to the feeling you’ve spotted something magical.

→ Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus

3. Dean Street, Soho

A classic Soho stroll that turns surreal when you notice a nose halfway down the building.

→ Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road

4. Bateman Street, Soho

Tucked near a doorway, this one blends in so well, you’ll probably walk past it three times before spotting it.

→ Nearest tube: Leicester Square

5. Meard Street, Soho

This charming little street already feels like a film set. Add a secret nose, and it becomes poetry.

→ Nearest tube: Oxford Circus

6. Endell Street, Covent Garden

Hidden near a side entrance — best spotted with a good squint and a sense of humour.

→ Nearest tube: Covent Garden

7. D’Arblay Street, Soho

The seventh nose. The stuff of myths. Some say if you find all seven, you gain immortality. Others say you just get funny looks.

→ Nearest tube: Oxford Circus

💌 Final Thought

London loves a secret — especially the kind that makes no sense and serves no purpose other than to delight.
The Seven Noses aren’t part of any official tour. They don’t appear in glossy brochures. But they’re a reminder that art can be protest, that humour belongs on every street, and that even in a city of nine million, there’s always room for a quiet joke.

So next time you’re in Soho, look up.
You never know who’s sniffing around.