AROUND ST PAUL'S FLEET STREET AND THE STRAND WESTMINSTER AND LAMBETH PALACE

London Circa 1896   The images from 1896 are accompanied by the original text in Round London; the captions for the images from today are mine. All images from the work Round London are part of the author's collection, while all images of 'London today' are my own.   After careful consideration, I decided to upload the images in high-resolution so readers can zoom in on features that grab their interest. I would ask for the courtesey of an email request should you wish to use a picture. Some time ago I unearthed in a second hand bookshop an amazing find: a somewhat worn work called Round London. It was a large book, roughly A3 in size, with view after view of London street scenes and famous locations circa 1896, the year it was published. Underneath every image was a long description outlining the scene, often accompanied by facts and editorial opinion. The commentaries were typically late Victorian mainstream in their outlook, but what I thought was particularly interesting was the inclusion of many unusual views and locations – shots of Whitechapel or the docklands area, for example. This was not what we today would call a coffee table book.   Stephen Inwood in his work on the late Victorian and early Edwardian city argues that it was during this period that laid down the template for today's modern metropolis. Certainly it was a period of staggering growth with buildings and swathes of slums cleared for new buildings and thoroughfares.   With all this in mind, I wondered what I would find if I were to visit the sights featured in Round London. How much of the late Victorian city remains? Are the outlines of the late Victorian urban vision still influencing the London of today? What about the function of the area? Has this changed too?    And before we begin to feel superior in our innovative use of space, remember that our late Victorian ancestors could be as imaginative and daring as we are. Take the Millennium Wheel, for example...          Reinventing the wheel       Click on image to enlarge       Click on image to enlarge     The Great Wheel 1896: This, the largest wheel in the world, is over 300ft in height, and has taken more than a year to build. The wheel is rotated by means of a powerful chain gearing, driven by steam engines of 100-horse power. The chains – there are two – are each 1,000ft long and weigh 16 tons. There are forty cars, each holding between thirty and forty people.   All London is spread before the passenger in the topmost car, and on a clear day even Windsor Castle is distinctly visible.   The Millennium Wheel today: Built as a Year 2000 project and derided at the time as incongruous and a waste of money, the Wheel – known to everyone ‘The London Eye’ – is a key feature of the city's landscape and loved by tourist and local alike (unlike that other Year 2000 Project, the Dome).   Standing next to the Thames and overlooking the Houses of Parliament, all of the major landmarks can be clearly seen and admired. I can not give the large facts and figures, except to say that this wheel is one of the city’s most popular draws – the hordes of tourists a testament to this.       AROUND ST PAUL'S   FLEET STREET AND THE STRAND   WESTMINSTER AND LAMBETH PALACE         RETURN TO HOME PAGE