10 rare photos of London past and present-Travel

London has had an impressive makeover in just a short time, making everyone surprised when comparing the past and now.

1. Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster was built in the Gothic Revival style between 1840 and 1860, after a catastrophic fire destroyed the original building in 1834. The image of the palace today is the result of restoration work in 2017.

2. Watermen Stairs/County Hall

In the past, the Watermen stairs were often used by train drivers in the 17th and 18th centuries. The pub was located near the stairs for the convenience of these people. However, in the 20th century, this place was replaced by City Hall.

3. Millbank, Westminster

Looking at this photo, one thing that hasn’t changed is the riverside swamp in the city of Westminster. Victoria Garden was built from 1864 – 1870, below is a modern wastewater treatment system and above is a green space for people to walk.

4. Charing Cross Station

Charing Cross used to be one of the main railway stations in Europe. Beneath the tracks is even a wine cellar. However, after World War I, the station changed a lot, now serving as an intersection between the southeastern suburbs of London and the county of Kent.

5. Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus was once the center of London’s entertainment industry. The centrally located Sir Alfred Gilbert’s Eros sculpture was built in 1893, the world’s first aluminum statue.

Today, this statue is located near the Criterion theater, in a pedestrian zone. Although not as famous as before, the god of love Eros is still a familiar rendezvous for Londoners on first dates.

6. Oxford Circus

The Oxford Circus was built in the Regency style in 1810 by John Nash, it contrasts with the mess of buildings built on Oxford Street at the time.

In 1900, a new underground station made the Oxford Circus the center of shopping and entertainment in central London.

7. ST Pancras . Hotel

This hotel opened in 1872 as the Midland Grand Hotel, with a total of 250 bedrooms, thriving throughout the years. However, the cost of maintaining such a building is very high, after the nationalization of the railway lines after World War II, there was a great pressure to demolish this hotel.

Thanks to the efforts of Jane Fawcett – secretary of the Victoria Association, this place has been preserved. After being restored again, this place became a first class hotel. The top floors are now private apartments.

8. High Holborn

High Holborn has been a major thoroughfare in London since medieval times. The most famous is the Staple Inn, a building dating from 1585. It is one of only 19 buildings that survived the fire in London in 1666.

9. Fleet . Road

Fleet Street in the 1883s was home to the headquarters of many newspaper companies. The street’s relationship with the press dates back to 1702, when the world’s first newspaper – The Daily Courant was published here.

The newspaper industry left Fleet Street in the 1980s and today most of the former headquarters buildings are occupied by international banking corporations.

10. London Bridge

This was the first bridge over the Thames, built here by the Romans around 50 AD with wood but damaged in AD 410.

In 1209, a stone bridge was erected and many other buildings mushroomed. The current London Bridge was inaugurated in 1973.