Beautiful Historic Photographs Of London

Tabish Khan
By Tabish Khan Last edited 96 months ago

Last Updated 14 October 2016

Beautiful Historic Photographs Of London
An 1850s view of St. Paul's from Southwark bridge. Copyright Historic England

London is a constantly transforming city so it's great to see what it looked like in early photography. This is just a taster Historic England's archive of over 9m images that trace the history of how the nation has evolved. The evolution of famous landmarks is stunning as London and England have grown upwards and outwards.

For more photographs of London see those from the Hyman collection, the work of Mike King.

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Goodge St Deep-Level Shelter and dormitory, Chenies Street, Camden, London, 24 May 1956 c Historic England - Originally conceived before the Second World War as part of an express Northern Line route through the capital, the two parallel tunnels beneath Goodge Street underground station were instead built as a deep-level air raid shelter between 1940 and 1942. Each tunnel had decks equipped with bunks, medical posts, kitchens and toilets, and the shelter accommodated up to 8,000 people. In late 1942, part of the shelter was used as headquarters for General Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, and much of the D-Day invasion was planned here. The tunnels were used after the war as an army transit shelter, and the interior view taken for the Ministry of Works shows one of the dormitories in May 1956. After a fire later that year, the shelter became a storage facility. Copyright Historic England
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The church of St Andrew Undershaft, St Mary Axe in 1891. Copyright Historic England
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The same church in 2015, now dwarfed by the Gherkin behind it. Copyright Historic England
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This Roman wall was uncovered when demolishing a part of the Old Bailey to make way for the new Central Criminal Court, circa 1903. Copyright Historic England
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The view in the 1850s along Ludgate Hill towards St. Pauls. Copyright Historic England
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The church of St Giles and the Barbican estate in 1972. Copyright Historic England
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The construction site for the Empire Stadium, that would later become Wembley Stadium, 1922. Copyright Historic England
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A 1935 cup final being played at Empire Stadium. Photo courtesy Historic England
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The new Wembley Stadium in 2015, with its distinct arch that has become a feature of the London skyline. Photo courtesy Historic England