I hope it's appropriate for me to post this here, but this is an 11min video of London now, mixed with the same places of around 110years ago. The final video is from 1890. Stunning.
If a travel theme is needed, the area headings of each video section are good area's for splitting a London trip into.
http://londontopia.net/videos/video-oldest-footage-of-london-ever-fascinating-video/
Enjoy.
Having just returned from a 3 week stay in London this is just great! The old footage is remarkable. Thank you for posting this.
Mike J-that is a wonderful video; so much fun to watch! It is beautifully produced. Thank you so much for posting the link so more of us can enjoy it. Loved the music, too.
How little London has changed in 110 years...
The German bombing of London in WW2, particularly in the East End, destroyed many buildings, which have been replaced by the modern office buildings we now see there.
This and other things, many not visible or tangible, have caused parts of London to change significantly in the last 110 years.
Loved the video Mike, thanks for sharing.
That was great! Obviously, they had to cherry pick a bit. And as Kent pointed out no comparisons for the East End which was obliterated in the Blitz. Also, there was reconstruction post WWII. My parents visited London in May 1953 and my mother commented about how much war damage was still there. I visited Berlin in 1973 and there was still war damage in East Berlin.
Pam
Thanks for posting Mike! I enjoyed that. Funny to see how much traffic there was in 1917 as well.
Thanks for sharing. Big fan of Londontopia website.
London, always changing, always the same.
Great city.
Mike,
That was a fascinating video. Thanks for posting!
Yes, Keith, I think you are probably right about there being fewer old film clips for the East End. The other thing I noticed, too, other than the dirt, was that it seemed foggier in the old films. Some of it may be the black and white film, but London was also known for its fog, right? I am sure that lots of coal burning contributed to that.
Pam
Loved it! Thank you!
The company that produced the video has a really great one of old-time New York on it too. Just wonderful. Thanks again.
Yes, not only are buildings much cleaner now but also I found it surprising in so many of the old clips how filthy the sky was and how quickly you couldn't see beyond the immediate foreground.
As bad as the air in London can get these days it is far superior to those days; even better than the old smog in the 1950s and 1960s.
A lot of London was extensively cleaned in the run up to the 2012 Olympics, many buildings included.
If you enjoyed the original video then you might be interested in this one which shows the Siege of Sydney Street in 1911 with an appearance by Winston Churchill who was Home Secretary at the time. He's the one in the top hat of course directing the police and army. This short film does make you feel as if you are there in my opinion.
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/london-sidney-street-siege
Steve.
What a cool video, Mike - thanks for posting! I'm going to send the link to my sister; she and I are going to London this fall. I was there about 3 years ago but this upcoming visit will be her first time, and it'll be fun to think of this old footage while we're there.
Thanks for all the thanks 😃 glad some enjoyed it as much as I did.
