Lost London 1870-1945

An exhibition of almost 100 images, many never seen before, to accompany the release of a new book from Transatlantic Publishing with English Heritage, “Lost London 1870 – 1945”.

This book by Phillip Davies features 500 fascinating photographs of the capital, some of which have never before been published. Spanning 1870 to 1947, they depict the city through a period that includes the construction of Tower Bridge.

Telling the story of the lost buildings and streets of London, this exhibition explores why some streets remain yet others have long disappeared from view. Accompanying the images will be two huge wooden Bell Jacks that survive from the bell tower of the long demolished Columbia Market. Depicting a world in transition, from the coaching inns and horse drawn city of the late Victorian age and through the 1920s and 30s to wartime devastation, the book and exhibition provide a unique opportunity to rediscover a “Lost London”.

Photo: An heroic monument to Britain’s railway age, the huge gateway to Euston station was demolished in 1962. © English Heritage