Category: Uncategorized

Ludgate Hill, London

A view of Ludgate Hill, taken from the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1959. In the foreground is a statue of Queen Anne who reigned between 1702 and 1714. This seems to be a very flattering statue of Queen Anne as she was plagued by ill health during her life. As she got older, she became increasingly ill and obese. Despite having seventeen pregnancies, she died without any surviving heirs and was the last Stuart monarch.  
The original statue was erected here in 1712 to commemorate the completion of Saint Paul’s Cathedral which had been rebuilt following the 1666 Great Fire of London. The four female figures at the base of the statue represent Britannia, France, America, and Ireland. The present statue is a replica – erected in 1886 after the original had deteriorated. The original statue was bought by Augustus Hare who placed it in the grounds of his house, Holmhurst St. Mary near Hastings.  Today, because the original statue is Grade II listed, it has remained there despite the changes to the house and gardens (which is now housing).
Image: Photographer unknown
The view in August 2020 has changed a great deal. New buildings on both sides of Ludgate Hill with St. Martin’s, the bollards, the lamps and the statue of Queen Anne remaining constant.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Strand, London

In the early 1900s, London taxis are positioned on Strand, near to Savoy Court and the entrance to the Savoy Hotel. Credit: © TfL from the London Transport Museum collection – http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk
A busier scene in February 2018. Photograph: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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King’s Head Hill, Chingford, London

Another view of the King’s Head pub in Chingford – taken in 1910. The Police Station is the building to the right. Credit: Photographer unknown
By February 2020 the pub remains largely unaltered. However, the Police Station is completely different and the addition of the war memorial in the foreground indicates the passage of time. It made me wonder if any of the people in the first photograph are included on the memorial. Photograph: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)

Agincourt Square, Monmouth

A photograph of Agincourt Square in Monmouth taken (I assume) in the 1920s. In the centre of the photograph is Monmouth’s Market Hall. The central part of the building was destroyed by fire in 1963 and now houses the Nelson Museum, which was moved to this location in 1969. The collection includes Nelson’s naval officers fighting sword, and letters from Nelson both to his wife, and to Lady Hamilton. Also included are various Nelson ‘fakes’ including a glass eye which is claimed to be Nelson’s – even though he had lost his sight, and not the eyeball itself. Credit: Photographer unknown
From the same position in March 2020. Photograph: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)


A merged version of the two images above. Use the slider in the centre.

Savoy Court, Strand, London

This photograph (taken in 1901) shows Savoy Court and the entrance to the Savoy Hotel. It was built by the impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte with the profits made from his productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The hotel opened in August 1889 and was the first in the ‘Savoy group’ of hotels and restaurants owned by the Carte family for over a hundred years. Famous guests have included Oscar Wilde, Charles Chaplin, Babe Ruth, John Wayne and The Beatles. The hotel has 267 rooms and has panoramic views of the Thames. When Richard D’Oyly Carte died in 1901, his son Rupert supervised the modernisation and expansion of the hotel. This included moving the main entrance to Savoy Court (see below) off Strand. Credit: Photographer unknown
The same view of Savoy Court taken in February 2018. The familiar entrance to the Savoy can be seen. Photograph: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)

High Street, Newnham, Gloucestershire

The start of the sweeping High Street in Newnham, photographed in 1910. The River Severn is situated to the photographer’s left. The large building on the right (with three upper-floor windows) is ‘The Old House’ – one of the
most prestigious houses in the village. It was built in 1680 for a wine merchant and is Grade II* listed. Credit: Forest Prints (Ian Thomas)
By August 2017, the large building on the left of the photograph has long gone, but other buildings remain largely unchanged. Photograph: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
A merged version of the two images. Use the slider in the centre.