Sights Of Wonderful London
It is my pleasure to publish these splendid pictures selected from the three volumes of Wonderful London edited by St John Adcock and produced by The Fleetway House in the nineteen-twenties. Not all the photographers were credited – though many were distinguished talents of the day, including East End photographer William Whiffin (1879-1957).
Roman galley discovered during the construction of County Hall in 1910
Liverpool St Station at nine o’clock six mornings a week
Bridge House in George Row, Bermondsey – constructed over a creek at Jacob’s Island
The Grapes at Limehouse
Wharves at London Bridge
Old houses in the Strand
The garden at the Bank of England that was lost in the reconstruction
In Huggin Lane between Victoria St and Lower Thames St by Andrew Paterson
Inigo Jones’ gate at Chiswick House at the time it was in use as a private mental hospital
Hoop & Grapes in Aldgate by Donald McLeish
Book stalls in the Farringdon Rd by Walter Benington
Figureheads of fighting ships in the Grosvenor Rd by William Whiffin
The London Stone by Donald McLeish
Dirty Dick’s in Bishopsgate
Poplar Almshouses by William Whiffin
Old signs in Lombard St by William Whiffin
Penny for the Guy!
Puddledock Blackfriars
Punch & Judy show at Putney
Eighteenth century houses at Borough Market by William Whiffin
A plane tree in Cheapside
Wapping Old Stairs by William Whiffin
Houndsditch Old Clothes Market by William Whiffin
Bunhill Fields
The Langbourne Club for women who work in the City of London
On the deck of a Thames Sailing Barge by Walter Benington
Piccadilly Circus in the eighteen-eighties
Leadenhall Poultry Market by Donald McLeish
London by Alfred Buckham, pioneer of aerial photography. Despite nine crashes he said, “If one’s right leg is tied to the seat with a scarf or a piece of rope, it is possible to work in perfect security.”
Photographs courtesy Bishopsgate Institute
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Wonderful photos thank you very much.
One thing is clear from the images: 110 years ago, the world was definitely a cosier place!
Love & Peace
ACHIM
I’ve been away from London for two years now and these photographs make me pine to be back and explore the most wonderful city in the world. Thank you Gentle Author for bringing us these terrific memories.
I thoroughly enjoyed these pictures! I love the penny for the guy and women who worked in the city of London ones. I recognise a lot of these places and it’s wonderful to see what they looked like in times gone by. Thank you for sharing them!
BEAUTIFUL..WONDERFUL..
Lovely old photographs, truly talented photographs and wonderful hand made prints.
This one truly is a one to keep, as are many others.
Thank you
Mark
Wonderful London indeed! What fantastic photographs. I wonder if that garden at the Bank of England was replaced by the fantastically ornate swimming pool I once visited with my daughter and her friend whose father worked at the Bank. Those ships’ figureheads look absolutely HUGE!! And can anyone tell me what the ‘Stone of London’ is? GA, has there been a story about this? Thank you for publishing these wonderful glimpses of London long ago.
Fabulous! But what a shame that the Bank lost a garden …
Thank you GA. Great photographs. I think the man on the left watching the Punch and Judy show is wearing buskins. These were made of leather and were normally worn by men in the country to protect their legs from brambles and thorns. We had a man, Mr Bridgewater, in the village where I grew up, who wore them to church and they creaked and squeaked all the way through the services !! Another happy memory, as is the photo of Dirty Dicks.
Thank you once again for all you have contributed this past year, and years before. You truly have a passion for your subject and deep knowledge. It’s a marvel the places you take us readers to. Today’s photos are especially enjoyable. All the best in the coming year.
Regards
David
Truly great photos of a bygone era..fascinating.
They certainly are wonderful photographs!
Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful! Thank you.
Once again, thank you so much for transporting your readers to London Past. As I’ve said here before: how I wish I could return there for a couple of days, to see all the sights (and probably faint from the smells, and from the corset I would have to wear?). Could you publish even more photos from these volumes of treasures in the future? They are amazing.
Thank you so much for providing us with thought-provoking images and prose during yet another Covid year. Like your reader above, I am longing to return to my London Flat — hopefully in 2022?
I used to love wandering through Leadenhall Market when I worked in the City, it was like going back in time. It fascinated me from when I first got a job in London, I worked directly opposite at No 3 Gracechurch street which back then (1984) was a modern glass fronted building. There was a great greasy spoon we used to go to in Leadenhall for Cornish pasty, chips, peas and gravy. They also served ravioli with mashed potato which always made me laugh as it seemed a very strange combination.
Wonderful collection.
Sue
Wonderful images with such rich histories attached to them, and love the youngsters with the Guy, where all the boys have highly polished shoes.