It’s almost the holidays so let’s the pics do most of the talking. These were found across the length and breadth of the Internet. If possible, the area they were taken in is identified, along with the year. The photo above looks like Belgravia or some other area of West London, taken in 1973. But let’s organize this a bit and start chronologically. Oh, and do click on these to enlarge them, old boy.
Old Kent Road, Southwark, 1947. Trams were still running in London, but that would not last much longer.
London Bridge not falling down, for once. A postcard taken in the early ’50s.
Soho, West End, 1955.
Constitution Hill, mid-’50s. Nice Jowett Javelin on the left there, and a red MGA at the right…
Late ’50s — no idea where, to be honest.
Whitehall, late ’50s.
East End, early late ’60s.
Fleur-de-Lys Street, Spitalfields, mid-’60s.
The famous Carnaby Street in the mid-’60s, with a very nice Vauxhall wagon.
I’m sure I’ve been there, but I cannot say where this is! Late ’60s photo…
Trafalgar Square, late ’60s.
Skoda! Earl’s Court Road, 1968.
Pelham Street, South Kensington, 1970.
Camelford Road, North Kensington, 1970. Fancy that, a late model Citroen Traction Avant… And a smashed up Jaguar MkX.
Whitechapel, early ’70s, with an American visitor: That’s a 1967 1969 Plymouth Barracuda convertible.
Piccadilly Circus, early ’70s. The reign of the Ford Capri was just starting — there’s a yellow one behind the double-decker bus.
Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, 1972. That’s an Austin-Healey 3000 in the left foreground.
Regent Street, 1975. That funny three-wheeler towards the right is a Reliant Robin.
West Norwood, Lambeth. First time we’re seeing a Saab.
Trafalgar Square, 1976. The blue car in the foreground is a Renault 5.
Somewhere in the East End, sometime in the mid-’70s… Only fools and ‘orses live there, guv, plus that red 1971 Ford Capri over to the left.
Edison Road in Crouch End, North London, 1976. Orange Beetles, Renault 4s, Cortina — the ’70s outdo themselves.
Piccadilly Circus again, but with a more late ’70s vibe.
The Strand, 1977. Her Maj’ was celebrating her silver jubilee, so some Routemasters were painted like this that year. I recall seeing some golden ones when I visited in 2003. That’s another Capri at the left, a blue Mk2 Ford Escort behind it, and a red Citroen DS at the right.
Haymarket, West End, late ’70s. Is that an AC Invacar hiding behind the ADO16 on the right?
Brixton, circa 1980. Hard to recognize without the burning cars…
Bromley, mid-’80s. Still a lot of British cars in car parks then. By the early ’90s, things were a bit different. But let’s not go there. Let’s end it here instead.
See you in a couple days for another destination!
these are great, downloaded them all.
These are WONDERFUL ! .
I think (hope, anyway) my infatuation with LBC’s has finished, so many cool cars I’d love to own here .
-Nate
“No idea where” is the south side of Lambeth Bridge, with Lambeth Palace behind the photographer.
With one of the BEA deck-and-a-half RF buses on the service to London Airport.
That picture is one of my favorites here – I’m still unable to pinpoint exactly where it was taken, though.
But one thing I find interesting is that two of the businesses with vehicles in that photo (Longman’s Florists and Bournes of Rye) are still in operation. Not so for British European Airways.
Lots and lots of British nostalgic iron about… The Capris were so cool. Ill take a Healy 3000 please.. The one pic reminds me of a 66 230 MB sedan I aquired to fix up and flip. Had a hole in the windshield and head in the trunk. I detailed it and sold it in the same state. Would have been sweet brought back…
Regarding the 11th picture, Google Lens says Trafalgar square with the blurry Mercedes fin tail and the in focus Rover P5. The one that struck me was the photo above it of the street in Spitalfields that was all vans.
The Sweeney is good for street scenes like this, as a gritty show made in the 70s the streets show run down houses and rusty cars and the show itself has some unusual car casting. AFAIK it’s the only English cop show to use a Renault 16
Takes one back a bit…
Amazing how Ford absolutely dominated the market back then. Where are they now?
Ford didn’t become the top seller until 1977. The Escort and Cortina were very popular in the 70s but Leyland had several cars that did significant business at the same time and totaled more sales. The Cortina and Escort might be the two most popular cars, but usually five of the top ten were cars like the Mini, Maxi, Marina, Allegro, etc and the total of all the dribs and drabs were more than Ford did. That wasn’t a healthy business structure for Leyland, but it took a while for the chickens to roost.
For most of the decade, the top ten was about half Leyland and half US brands/companies: Ford, Vauxhall, Chrysler/Rootes.
The game changer for Ford was the Fiesta, which was a third line of volume cars and appealed to buyers who wanted a more European car.
Minor correction the Barracuda convertible is a 69, not a 67. They’re hard to make out but if you look real close it has rectangular side markers, the taillight panel is 69 only as well
Love this post!
Looks like the Baracuda is right hand drive.
8th picture is not early 1960s as there’s a Cortina Mk.2 estate towards the RH end which were introduced in February 1967. On the North Thames Gas showroom there’s still the cartoon ‘Mr. Therm’ who was used as a mascot until the early ’70s.
The 17th picture must be no earlier than April 1976 as that’s when Death Race 2000 (just to the right of the Eros statue) opened in London.
11th picture is where The Strand enters Trafalgar Square. The end of Villiers House (next to Charing Cross station) just visible which also features in the 1977 photo with the Silver Jubilee RM. I’m very familiar with that part of London because my Dad worked in Villiers House and I was allowed to occasionally join him when he worked Saturday mornings.
Last but one of Brixton has a Ford Sierra on the right, introduced in late 1982.
That North Thames Gas showroom building is still standing, so I was able to find the location – on Whitechapel Rd.
Then-and-now comparison and Google Street View link below:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/W6riY1FW4RaVMpZJ7
Whatever one’s sentiments about Boris Johnson, as mayor of London he did much to improve its ambience. Notably, he had taxes imposed on vehicles traveling in central London. Much like was done in Manhattan earlier this year. Present day London is now very walkable and…beautiful.
Bless you for this Boris.
Actually it was his predecessor, Ken Livingstone who introduced the Congestion Zone charge in 2003, five years before Boris got the job.
Boris Johnson’s most visible mark on London’s transport system was advcoating for, funding and introducing the new Routemaster (or New Bus for London) double decker. Longer than most double deckers, 3 entrances, 87 seats and hybrid power.
The pic of the horse-drawn wagon……guy looks like he’s either pointing at the camera or holding a pic in front of his face!
Interesting article. Thanks.
The sedan versions of most British cars were familiar in America, but the panel and van versions, dominant in these pictures, never crossed the Atlantic. The Whitehall pic includes a Hudson-based Railton, probably ’37.
I was in London very recently, first time for 30 years. I felt like a foreigner in the capital city of my own country.
Very enjoyable set of photos, even for someone like myself who’s never been to London.
The last picture contains an early 1980s Audi Coupe, very similar to my first car. Mine was even silver, too.
One little detail I find amusing is in the West Norwood photo (with the Saab), that’s an awfully prominent ad for brake pads.
Ferodo had an advertising deal which had their name on bridges for many years
https://londonhistorians.wordpress.com/tag/ferodo/
Thank you very much for this link!
In the first photo I noted the Triumph Herald and shuddered. I had the convertible version. What a nightmare. I should have poured gas on it and torched it.
The 2nd Piccadilly Circus picture has an ad for the Wings album “Back to the Egg” which came out in 1979.
And the first Picadilly pic is from 1976/77; note the movie ad for ‘That’s Entertainment Part 2’…
Many of these are a real walk down memory lane. Given that I’ve traveled often to London since 1967 to visit family, including a short stint living there in 1982. The pic with the Benz looks like Selfridges at Oxford Circus. And, the only likely person to have a Barracuda in Whitechapel then would be a gangster. I can remember the old horse-driven ‘rag and bonemen’ around the East End in the 60s. Thanks for curating these, chap! Keep the ol’ pecker up!
Photo 1 shows an almost forgotten time – a Triumph Herald, a Rover 200, a Triumph 2000 Mk1, a Hillman Imp, a Mini, a Cortina mk3 and a Mini clubman estate all saying “sorry, foreign Renault 16 – no space at the kerb for you”
Photo 2 – trams lasted in London until 1952, though there is now light rain system in some outer areas
Photo 4 – Hillman Minx Convertible, a Standard 10, Austin-Healey and a Sunbeam Talbot saloon
Photo 5 and a nice Bedford CA minibus and some period coaches as well. Cavalry remain unchanged
Photo 6 shows a typical of the period furniture (house removal) van and E series Vauxhall Cresta ahead of the BEA bus
Photo 7; another E series Vauxhall, a Hillman Minx (Audax series, centre stage is an Austin A30 and is that a1946-49 Jaguar Mk4?
Photo 8 a Humber Hawk and a Singer Gazelle and across the junction an Anglia, A Cortina mk2 estate and a Zephyr mk4. Bike is Honda Cub 50 ( I think = please correct me!)
Photo 11 a nice W110 Mercedes-Benz in front of an AEC Routemaster. Next to the GPO van (a BMC LD) is a Vanden Plas Princess. DACAIR are using a Bedford TK.
Photo 12 at Trafalgar Square, which looks a lot better now, shows a Jaguar MK2, a Rover P4, a Fiat 1800 ( I think), an Alfa GTV, a Triumph 1300 and a Rover P5 saloon
Photo 17 shows a Hillman Hunter, BMC ADO16, an Austin Maxi and AEC RT bus, the predecessor to the Routemaster
Photo 18 has 2 BMC ADO16 and 2 Minis, and Riley 1.5
Photo 18’s Reliant Robin Estate is on an N plate from August 1974 to July 1975, so pretty much brand new. Ahead of it a Humber Super Snipe, which wasn’t by several years.
Photo 21 is probably around the docklands area at agues and features what was known as a rag and bone man. That Capri looks pretty new on 1971-2 K plate
Photo 22 has an open bonnet which I think is the front boot of a Renault 8
Photo 23’s highlight is a Citroen GS
Photo 24 – the Routemaster is in front of a Daimler Fleetline which was expected to replace it but didn’t last the course.
Photo 25 – yes an AC Invacar but also a Alfa Romeo GTV2000 and a Datsi#un 120Y
Photo 26 – an Alfasud and Colt Mirage (Plymouth Colt)
Photo 27 where do we start…an FSO Polonez, a Vauxhall Chevette, an Austin Ambassador, Audi Coupe, Renault 14, Renault 18 estate, Matra Rancho, Renault 20, Peugeot 104, Morris Marina, another Renault 14, SAAB 900, Austin Allegro, Hillman Avenger with a ghastly white vinyl roof, Volvo 142, yet another Renault 14 and a Hillman Hunter, an Austin Metro and a Morris Oxford. You must be able to pick one of those….
Thoughts on “Whitehall, late ’50s”
My mother was born south of London in the 1930s, and lived in the city for a couple of years in the 1950s when she was a student nurse at St Bartholomew’s hospital. She emigrated to Canada and didn’t spend much time in London again until 1990. At that time she commented on how clean the city looked – “all those old films weren’t actually black and white, you know – London was a uniform shade of dark grey back then”. From the 1970s they started to clean the buildings which had been covered in soot, and it made a huge difference.
This is what it looks like now
The clean up started a little earlier than that, though after the Clean Air Act of 1956. Here’s Lyon’s Corner in 1962 (left) and 1965 (right), showing the difference very clearly.