Unseen images of a lost London (when it really was a capital place to live!)




They are a remarkable window onto a bygone age. A snapshot of a city in transition - with horse-drawn carts and cobbled streets replaced by a booming industrial revolution.



Lost in the archives of English Heritage for 25 years, these never-before published images have now been compiled into a book. From Victorian London to the devastation of two world wars, they provide a unique record of a vanishing way of life in the capital.



Here, CLAIRE COHEN compares the London of a century ago with photographs taken at the same locations today.



Earlham Street, Seven Dials, circa 1905, left, and now, right

EARLHAM STREET

THEN: Street life consisted of men in flat caps standing outside a pub in an area that was a byword for poverty.



NOW: Part of London's commercial West End, Earlham Street attracts theatre-goers and shoppers from nearby Covent Garden. On the site of the pub is a designer clothes shop.



Borough High Street, circa 1903, left, and now

BOROUGH HIGH STREET

THEN: 17th century timber-framed shops fronted the slums which were home to London's poorest.



NOW: Although the area has been gentrified, the old-fashioned shops of the past have been replaced by a faceless office block.



Bush House, Aldwych circa 1932, left, and now

BUSH HOUSE, ALDWYCH



THEN: Bush House, at the foot of Kingsway and a symbol of Anglo-American co-operation, was declared the most expensive building ever when it opened, in 1929, having cost £2million.



NOW: Home to the BBC World Service and HM Revenue and Customs, it appears largely unchanged - and many of the original buildings around it still stand.



Tower Bridge, circa 1893, left, and now

TOWER BRIDGE

THEN: The bridge, in its latter stages of construction, was designed to allow ships to pass into the Pool of London. Its gothic style was meant to fit in with the Tower of London and it cost £1.2million (£96.6 million today).



NOW: A busy thoroughfare for traffic, it is crossed by 40,000 people a day: a speed limit of 20mph and weight limit of 18 tons helps to preserve the structure from damage. River traffic still takes priority, but the bridge is raised only 1,000 times a year (compared to 50 times a day in its heyday).



Oxford Circus, October 19, 1910, left, and now

OXFORD CIRCUS



THEN: This view of Oxford Street shows just how much London has changed in a century. Motorised vehicles drive alongside horse-drawn carriages, and a policeman stands in the middle of the junction, directing the traffic and pedestrians.



NOW: Buses and taxis still dominate, a Tube station has been built, and traffic lights have replaced the lone policeman. The Peter Robinson department store has since been replaced by chain stores.

Pool Of London, circa 1914, left, and now

POOL OF LONDON



THEN: A panorama of sails and steam depicts this crowded shipping district. Warehouses and factories sit in chaotic jumble, out of which rises the spire of the Church of St Magnus the Martyr (centre) and the Monument (right). St Paul's can just be seen on the far left.

NOW: Trade is no longer the focus - the boats carry only tourists. St Paul's is clearer, and St Magnus the Martyr and the Monument are still visible, poking out from the glass skyscrapers.



Regent Street, 1910, left, and now

REGENT ST

THEN: Advertising was fashionable in Victorian London, with illuminated lettering on Piccadilly Circus. Mellin's Pharmacy at No 48 Regent Street was probably the first such sign. Other still-familar brands include Perrier and Bovril.



NOW: Piccadilly Circus is world-famous for its vast flashing hoardings. The concentration of shops and restaurants make this one of London's busiest areas.

