Trams were once ubiquitous in London. The first, a horse tram, was introduced in Victoria in 1860; in 1884, a cable tram was introduced for Highgate Hill; electric vehicles arrived in 1901, and by 1914, London has the largest tram network in Europe. The arrival of the diesel bus soon led to their demise, and on 6 July 1952, London’s last twentieth century tram made its final journey to New Cross Depot. Pictured here is the Kingsway tramway subway, a Grade II-listed tram tunnel, the only one of its kind in Britain, which can still be seen in Holborn.
A policeman stops the traffic and helps pedestrians cross the road at Ludgate Circus (1914).
A street photographer at work on Clapham Common, with a mobile booth.
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The first Big Bus tour? Passengers on board one of Great Western Railway’s sightseeing motor buses, which took tourists round London from Paddington Station (1907).
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The smallest house in London, since demolished, at 10 Hyde Park Place (1909)
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A street in the East End (1912).
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Busy traffic at Piccadilly Circus in London (1912).
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A view over the warehouses on the north bank of the Thames, to St. Paul’s Cathedral, circa 1870.
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What was once London’s smallest shop, a cobblers.
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A view from Waterloo Bridge showing horsedrawn carts driving along Embankment next to the Thames in London, circa 1880. St Paul’s Cathedral is in the background.
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A dancing bear in a London street.
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British army recruiting sergeants outside a public house at Westminster (1877).
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Latecomers at Stamford Bridge manage to get a good view of the match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur (1913).
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A street locksmith (1877).
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Halfpenny ices for sale from a London street vendor (1876).
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The London Supperette Car Company opens a refreshment car near Brixton Station.
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Ladies’ crinolines are loaded onto an omnibus going from Sloane Street to Fleet Street.
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The last horse drawn tram in London (1913).
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A line of London motor taxis at a cab rank in Knightsbridge (1907).
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A row of houses on the south bank of the Thames at Lambeth, circa 1850.
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Tourists queue at the entrance to the White Tower, at the centre of the Tower Of London, circa 1890.
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Commuters leaving Liverpool Street Station (1915).
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Horse-drawn traffic and a Lipton’s Tea and Coffee shop at The Angel Islington (1895).
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Passers-by and traffic at the Bank of England looking towards the Royal Exchange in the City of London (1912).
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Hammersmith Broadway with the underground station on the right and elaborate railings at the entrance to public conveniences in the centre (1910).
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Visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show (1912).
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Madame Tussauds.
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