Past Visualized

The next postcard is a photo of the river taken from the top of Tower Bridge, looking towards the west and London Bridge.
The view shows a low-rise City with the Monument, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the steeples of the City churches still standing well above their surroundings.

On the south bank of the river is the tower of Southwark Cathedral, and past that we can just see the towers and chimneys that feature in the previous postcard.

Piccadilly Circus – 1968
A much busier Piccadilly Circus in 1968, now complete with its familiar advertising billboards.

Tanks on Parade in London – 1918
Tanks parading through the streets of London at the end of World War I.

Piccadilly Circus – 1910
Built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus is depicted here long before the neon signs and thousands of tourists.

This rare aerial photograph shows London’s Tower Bridge in the early 20th century. At that time, the River Thames was one of the busiest waterways in the world. Hundreds of cargo ships and steam vessels passed through daily. The surrounding Docklands were the center of Britain’s global trade. This image captures the industrial heart of London before the city’s modern transformation.

The large Gothic-style building in the background is the Palace of Westminster, where the UK Parliament (House of Commons and House of Lords) is located. The bridge seen in the image is Westminster Bridge.
The picture looks old, likely from the 1940s or 1950s.