Images Of London In 1875

~ beetleypete

I found a nice group of photos taken in London during 1875. The photographers were not credited.

The Oxford Arms, in East London. There was a group trying to save this old coaching inn from demolition, and they employed a photographer to publicise their campaign. Sadly, they did not succeed.

Wych Street, WC2.

Old Palace Yard, Lambeth.

Old Aldgate. Rooms to let.

Fleet Street. This was once the home of every newspaper.

The Old Bell, Holborn.

Smithfield.

High Holborn.

The White Hart Inn.

Borough High Street, South London.

Drury Lane.

A milkman delivering, Lambeth.

36 thoughts on “Images Of London In 1875”

  4. (1) So they demolished Oxford Arms. Luckily, they didn’t demolish Oxford Legs. Otherwise, there would be no use for Oxford Shoes.
    (2) Did you ever figure out wych street is in that photograph?
    (3) In 1876, William Barnwell’s turnery manufacturing took a turn for the worse.
    (4) They allow rooms to let?
    (5) Contrary to rumor, the Metropolitan School of Shorthand is not attached to the Oxford Arms.
    (6) I hear the sound of new shaft chimes as the horse and buggy passes in front of the Old Bell.
    (7) Not exactly a Smithfield of dreams…
    (8) “King” is up high on High Holborn.
    (9) Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers once stayed at the White Hart Inn.
    (10) With respect to Chaplin & Co., doesn’t Charlie ever get to spend some time alone? It gets tiresome having company over all the time.
    (11) Little known fact: Drury Lane was named after James Drury, who played The Virginian on TV.
    (12) Not only did the milkman impregnate Ms. Wolferson, he also delivered her baby, Lambeth!

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  8. Pingback: Images Of London In 1875 — beetleypete | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  10. Amazing quality. I am struck by 2 things, mostly where were all the people? And the second thing…where there are one or two, two short they were. I always assumed that people tended to grow taller with continuing generations, but I read somewhere that this was not necessarily the case. I am reading a novel set in the early 1900’s and trying to picture New York as it was.

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    1. Here are some photos of New York around that time. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/search/pins/?rs=ac&len=2&q=new%20york%201900%20historical%20photos&eq=new%20york%2C%201900&etslf=5871

      As for the London photos, I think they were very early morning, possibly on a Sunday. People tended to be shorter, as they didn’t have enough calcium in their diets for strong bone growth. At the time of the outbreak of WW1, thousands of volunteers were rejected by the army for their poor physical condition.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. I recall visiting Hampton Court and noticing that the beds were very small. I always assumed better diet was what accounted for people growing taller. It’s why aeroplane seats are no longer adequate. The airines make bigger and better “High Yield” cabins for the wealthy while the poor folk get more cramped. It was one of my pet peeves.

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  16. Gotta love black & white. It presents life without the distraction of color. I am taken by the apparent cleanliness of the streets; no litter, trash, etc. Not even horse poop. Love all the pics you post, Pete. It’s a time capsule of a life and times long gone.

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    1. Thanks, Doug. The photos seem to have been taken very early in the morning. Very few people around, and no horse-drawn traffic. The litter and horse poo would likely have been cleared away overnight, by street cleaners.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. Fleet Street was such a busy place. Some of my relatives worked night-shifts on the newspapers in the 1950s-1960s, and it was always hectic. They have all moved out of there now, and there have been no newspaper offices there since 2016.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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