Londontopia

The Website for People Who Love London



You are here: Home / History / 59 Images of Old London That Will Blow Your Mind and Wish You Had a Time Machine

59 Images of Old London That Will Blow Your Mind and Wish You Had a Time Machine

By

Support great long-form writing about London by subscribing to the Londontopia Magazine – Available in Print & Digital Editions. Published quarterly and shipped worldwide! Click here for more information. 

One of my favorite past times is to look at old pictures of London and over the years we’ve amassed quite a collection here at Londontopia. So, we thought it would be fun to put together a massive gallery of old pictures of London to enjoy looking at.

article-1342305-0056B2CC00000258-186_634x497

Amazing Rare London Street Scenes from 1910 – Video
Amazing Rare London Street Scenes from 1910

The_Home_Front_in_Britain_during_the_Second_World_War_HU44272

London_Underground_circa_1900

Imperial_Institute

 

London_Bridge_(Cornell_University_Library) 60

63011_2

541-001 Euston_Arch_1896

George Washington Wilson, A view of the Strand looking west, c.1890. © Museum of London
George Washington Wilson, A view of the Strand looking west, c.1890. © Museum of London

bobbies-arresting-man

harrod-s-stores1879-in-101-103-brompton-road-charles-digby-harrod-acquires-two-adjoining-buildings-at-101-and-103-brompton-road-he-introduces-a-van-delivery-service-and-new-products-such-as-medicines-perfumes-stationery-and-china-he-renames

image

the-graphic-sat-17-nov-1877

_49087658_007942431-2

Smog Londra

BrUhX7HIEAAP-98

166753

BphOflsIcAA1nyv

 

The Grand Royal Opening of Tower Bridge
The Grand Royal Opening of Tower Bridge

a7dd82d01512efe85d4416afbf7a6916

 

 

 

 

The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben are proudly lit for the first time since the war started.
The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben are proudly lit for the first time since the war started.

 

People jam London's Piccadilly Circus during celebration of V-E Day May 8, 1945. Some perch atop Eros Statue and one person has climbed a post.
People jam London’s Piccadilly Circus during celebration of V-E Day May 8, 1945. Some perch atop Eros Statue and one person has climbed a post.

77239542dq

img0571A

 

The King, Queen, Princess Elizabeth and Churchill Appear on the Buckingham Palace Balcony.
The King, Queen, Princess Elizabeth and Churchill Appear on the Buckingham Palace Balcony.
Celebrations in Piccadilly Circus.
Celebrations in Piccadilly Circus.

VE Day In London

St Paul's is proudly lit for the first time since the beginning of the war.
St Paul’s is proudly lit for the first time since the beginning of the war.

Ve_Day_in_London,_8_May_1945_HU49414

Winston Churchill waves to crowds in Whitehall, London on the day he broadcast the news that the war with Germany was over.
Winston Churchill waves to crowds in Whitehall, London on the day he broadcast the news that the war with Germany was over.
Crowds gathered in celebration at Piccadilly Circus, London during VE Day in 1945.
Crowds gathered in celebration at Piccadilly Circus, London during VE Day in 1945.
Civilians and soldiers celebrating in London.
Civilians and soldiers celebrating in London.

photo

People gathered in Trafalgar Sqaure on VE Day to celebrate the end of WWII in Europe

a0469316-7622-4c42-85d5-6eee2de75ff1-460x297

 

Original caption: 2/2/1942-London, England: With historic St. Paul's Cathedral- virtually unscathed -rising like a monument to the indomitable spirit of the city, the heart of London is still being tidied up after ceaseless German Air Raids, preparing for the new city that will rise when the war is over. Photo shows Cannon Street, looking toward the cathedral, as demolition squads still labored. London, England
Original caption: 2/2/1942-London, England: With historic St. Paul’s Cathedral- virtually unscathed -rising like a monument to the indomitable spirit of the city, the heart of London is still being tidied up after ceaseless German Air Raids, preparing for the new city that will rise when the war is over. Photo shows Cannon Street, looking toward the cathedral, as demolition squads still labored. London, England

 

1859: St Paul's Cathedral as seen from Southwark, across the River Thames. (Photo by William England/London Stereoscopic Company/Getty Images)
1859: St Paul’s Cathedral as seen from Southwark, across the River Thames. (Photo by William England/London Stereoscopic Company/Getty Images)

 

The Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, during the Festival of Britain, 1951.
The Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, during the Festival of Britain, 1951.

 

Four women have lunch in the roof garden on Adelaide House, overlooking the River Thames and Tower Bridge, c. 1934.
Four women have lunch in the roof garden on Adelaide House, overlooking the River Thames and Tower Bridge, c. 1934.

2194894e-9bef-4440-825d-4b748bba5f5f

e6fcd280-c1af-455f-b571-6ec700526255

af18eace-19b2-43bc-98b8-9e533484317f

d5fd7da4-e797-43a9-a6ab-6156f796a885

b1ed823c-cd3a-4bc4-a1a2-a4dd2ca4c917

London Burns After a German Bombing Raid
London Burns After a German Bombing Raid

5d0feeaa-de19-4469-96b9-f771047e6ec9

resource

1665c84a314f822a6a05a5a86bb0c241

271

261

182

1110

BR7oT6qCYAAgbZj.jpg-large

Street-Life-in-London-25

Street-Life-in-London-1

Street-Life-in-London-15

Old_Covent_Garden__2262505i

Filed Under: History, London Photos

Subscribe to the Londontopia Print Magazine

Londontopia Print Magazine

Support great long-form writing about London by subscribing to the Londontopia Print Magazine, your quarterly love letter to London. The magazine is the only magazine dedicated completely to London. We ship worldwide! Each issue is filled with long articles about London history, culture, and travel. You can subscribe here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I was among the crowds on VE day in piccadilly circus, such memories, so great to look at the pictures thanks

  2. Wonderful photos of my dear London. I was among the crowds on VE-Day –never to be forgotten. Thak you so much

  4. Loved looking at London grew up in battersea, during the festival of Britain. Thanx.

  5. Really enjoyed these photographs, thank you! I even got a lump in my throat looking at the VE Day ones. There’s just something so other-worldly looking at old photos like these. A country very different from the England I’ve grown up in since being born in the mid-80s – yet somehow so familiar too.
    I just love old pictures! When I saw the one of the person sitting on a bench in the station and the one of the man at the bus stop with the double decker pulling up I felt my imagination going into overdrive. Making up scenarios for a wonderful murder mystery story revolving around those images.
    Thanks again.

  6. Seeing the destruction caused by the German bombing raids made me realize how much destruction and misery the Germans have created not only in London but all over Europe in those two world wars.

Free Weekly London Newsletter

Latest London news right in your email inbox every Thursday