Brian Girling - Böcker

This book is part of the Images of London series, which uses old photographs and archived images to show the history of various local areas in England, through their streets, shops, pubs, and people.

The River Thames, with its docks, wharves and associated industries, has been a source of livelihood for generations of East Enders living in the historic riverside neighbourhoods of the former Metropolitan Boroughs of Stepney, Poplar and adjacent areas. From images of the maritime stores of old nautical Limehouse and the silk-weaving houses in Bethnal Green at the turn of the twentieth century, to views of the prefabs in Poplar after the Second World War, this selection recalls how life was lived in the tightly packed streets of the East End. East End Neighbourhoods draws on both private and public pictorial archives to offer a fascinating glimpse into the past of one of the most individual and facinating quarters of London.

Belgravia and Knightsbridge represent the wealthy face of modern London, but it was not always that way. Belgravia did not exist before the 1820s, its site a bleak expanse of open countryside. Knightsbridge was a straggling settlement along the main highway from the west. Proximity to London and the Royal Parks was the key. Grand mansions arose in Knightsbridge and on the 'Five Fields' a classical townscape took shape from the 1820s - they called it 'Belgravia'. The Victorians welded both districts firmly to the capital, and with the photographs in this book we can follow the story through the Edwardian era and compare what the Edwardians saw and what we see today. Along the way are carriage-filled streets, grand hotels and an array of traders and shopkeepers, the lifeblood of Edwardian London. This unique portrayal of two iconic localities will delight and intrigue Londoners and visitors alike.

This fascinating compilation of early London photographs takes us on a tour of one of the world's greatest cities, but rather than picturing the historic scenes dating back to the 1850s in the traditional sepia and black and white monochrome, new realism is given here by reproducing the images in full colour. We can therefore explore not only some of London's world renowned landmarks but also less frequently pictured aspects of the capital including its street characters, local markets, shops, theatres and early cinema, and the historic River Thames by whose banks London began as a Roman town nearly 2000 years ago. There is also a look at some of the local neighbourhoods where Londoners live, and at the city's transport as horse and steam traction gives way to electricity and the internal combustion engine. Great exhibitions and royal events are featured as are wartime photographs recalling the inferno of the Blitz in the 1940s, while a further sequence recalls London's old docklands. Principally sourced from ancient albums and private collections, Lost London in Colour unites a wealth of rare and unpublished images to reveal that the London of a century and more ago was as colourful and vibrant a city as it is in the present day.

The wealthy riverside neighbourhood of Chelsea, situated in the centre of the capital, began as a Saxon village outside of London town. Although its population had grown to 3,000 by 1694, Chelsea was still considered rural, which was part of its attraction as a fashionable destination for the rich. With the development boom of the nineteenth century, however, the ‘village of palaces’ was fully absorbed into the metropolis, yet retained its charm and identity separate from the surrounding city.Chelsea Bridge opened in 1858, Albert Bridge in 1873, and the Chelsea Embankment in 1874. During the nineteenth century, the district’s Victorian artists’ colony gave it a reputation for bohemian creativity, and this re-emerged in the 1960s when Chelsea became identified with ‘Swinging London’, a centre of creativity and expression. The story of the district, home of the famous Chelsea bun, the Chelsea Porcelain Factory and Chelsea FC is chronicled in this unique collection of old and new images.

Featuring rare and historic photographs, this book takes a pictorial look at a lost world of Edwardian streets, shops, cinemas and canals in West London’s Paddington. Today the area is part of the City of Westminster and is a centre for transport, with the famous Paddington railway station, designed by celebrated engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, forming the terminus of the Great Western Railway.Comparison images from the present day show how times have changed, while a range of post-war scenes reveal Paddington as many will remember it. Grand Victorian townscapes and slummy byways are revealed in this entertaining and colourful compilation.

London Colour Archive is a fascinating collection of early photographs, which take the reader on a tour of London. It is a tour with a difference, though, because rather than picturing historic scenes dating back to the 1850s in the usually expected sepia or monochrome tones this collection offers new realism as all of the photographs are in full colour. World renowned landmarks are featured as well as less well known aspects of the city including street characters, local markets, shops, theatres, early cinemas, local neighbourhoods and transport, as horse and steam transport was giving way to electricity and the internal combustion engine. Great exhibitions and royal events also appear as do wartime photographs of the devastation London suffered during the blitz in World War II. A further section recalls London's once-thriving docklands before their eventual decline and subsequent reinvigoration during more recent years. London Colour Archive brings together a wealth of rare and previously unpublished images to depict a city that was as vibrant and colourful a century ago as it is today.