Opened in March 1958 by The Duke of Edinburgh, the London Planetarium occupied the site of a cinema which had been destroyed in WW2. It had an audience capacity of over 320. The dome was 18 meters in diameter and the venue showed the audience a show based on a view of the night sky as seen from earth. Various updates to the equipment were introduced until it was announced (in January 2006) that it was to be renamed ‘the Auditorium’ and would have entertainment shows, rather than astronomical presentations.

Image: Photographer unknown (1660s)

This view from the same spot was taken in January 2022.

Image: © TimeViews Steven Miell