Category: Langham Place, London

Langham Place, London

All Souls Church is situated in Langham Place – just north of Oxford Circus in central London. . It was designed by John Nash, and consecrated in 1824. The church was badly damaged by a German parachute mine in World war 2 and was closed for 10 years for restoration. The church is directly in front of BBC’s Broadcasting House which can be seen in the second photograph – dominating the background.
Image : Photographer unknown (Historic England – 1890s)
The February 2022 view shows a great deal of change with only All Souls remaining the same.
Image: © TimeViews Steven Miell
A merged version of the two images. Use the slider in the centre.

Langham Place, London

This image shows All Souls Church on the left, and Queen’s Hall on the right – dominating the photograph. The Queen’s Hall in Langham Place was a concert hall which opened in 1893. It was designed by Thomas Knightley and accommodated around 2,500 people. It was London’s principal concert venue and, from 1895 until 1941, it was the home of ‘The Proms’ – a series of promenade concerts which was co-founded by Henry Wood. Many famous musicians performed there Debussy, Ravel, Elgar and Strauss. In the 1930s, the venue became the principal London base of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
On the 10th May 1941, the concert hall was destroyed by German bombing action. Following the war, it was decided not to rebuild the hall, and the Proms moved to the Royal Albert Hall.
Image: Bedford Lemere & Co (courtesy of Historic England) – 1894
In February 2022, the 1960s replacement building has just been renovated.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
A merged version of the two images. Use the slider in the centre.