Category: Uncategorized

Trafalgar Square, London

There was a drive-through bank just off Trafalgar Square when this photograph was taken in 1969. Drummonds Bank opened the facility in 1961. Drummonds was founded in 1717 and was one of the oldest of the UK’s financial institutions. Andrew Drummond’s private bank served over 1,500 customers by the time of his death in 1769. In 1924, Royal Bank of Scotland bought Drummonds Bank.
Credit: Royal Bank of Scotland
The same view in May 2020 with Trafalgar Square in the background.
Photograph: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)

British Museum, Great Russell Street, London

The British Museum is located in Great Russell Street, in the Bloomsbury area of Central London. The museum houses over 8 million items in its permanent collection – one of the largest and comprehensive in the world. Inside is a showcase of art, culture and human history. Many of the exhibits were obtained at the time of the British Empire and it was the first national museum to be opened to the public.
Sir Hans Soane established the museum in 1753, and it opened to the public in 1759. Initially sited in Montagu House on the present site, it has been greatly expanded in the intervening years. The old Montagu House was demolished and the museum was rebuilt. Further reconstruction and expansion occurred in the early 20th century resulting in the building we see today.
Credit: Photographer unknown
At the end of May 2020, the British Museum’s gates are locked (and have been since March) due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Photograph: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)

Victoria Embankment, London

On the Embankment on the north side of the Thames (on either side of Cleopatra’s Needle) are two Victorian replicas of sphinxes. They are in a crouching position and made of bronze. Each of them has some hieroglyphic inscriptions. Designed by George Vulliamy, the sphinxes were installed at the same time as the obelisk itself – in 1878.
The actress Sophia Loren is pictured here in 1957 – presumably to publicise a film.
Credit: Terry Fincher
From the same position in May 2020.
Photograph: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)

Whitehall, London

A photograph taken in Whitehall in the 1900s – looking north towards Trafalgar Square. Nelson’s Column and the facade of the National Gallery are clearly visible.
Credit: Photographer unknown
In ‘Coronavirus’ London in May 2020, Whitehall is virtually empty. A tree obscures the view of Trafalgar Square.
Photograph: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)

Trafalgar Square, London

The Byrds – Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Mike Clarke, Gene Clark, and David Crosby – in Trafalgar Square in 1965. This trip to London inspired the Byrds song ‘Eight Miles High’. The song opens with – ‘Eight miles high and when you touch down, you’ll find that it’s stranger than known.’ Although planes usually fly at an altitude of 6 or 7 miles, the band believed that ‘Eight Miles High’ sounded better.
Other lines from the song include –
– ‘Nowhere is there warmth to be found / Among those afraid of losing their ground’
– “Round the squares, huddled in storms / Some laughing, some just shapeless forms’ (fans outside hotels)
– ‘Sidewalk scenes and black limousines (excited crowds around their cars)
The lyrics were written in November 1965 and the song was released in 1966.
Credit: Victor Blackman / Getty Images
From approximately the same spot in May 2020. No Byrds (or birds) to be seen.
Photograph: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)

Stephansplatz, Vienna

1960s Vienna – a tourist poses for a photograph in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in central Vienna. Stephansplatz is named after the cathedral – one of the tallest churches in the world. Until the start of the 20th century, there was a row of houses situated approximately where this man is standing. When Vienna’s underground railway was being developed in the early 1970s, an ancient underground chapel was discovered – 12 metres below ground level. . Built in around 1250, by the 14th century it had become a crypt for a prominent Viennese family.
Credit: Photographer unknown
The same view in December 2018.
Photograph: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)

Station Road, Chingford, London

In the 1910s, this building was occupied by a general tobacconist and provisions shop in Station Road, Chingford. In 1933, the shop was taken over by Charles Chasney – and later by his son. As a restaurant and shop, the business thrived for many years and closed in 1999.
Credit: Photographer unknown
In its current incarnation, the building is now occupied by a Thai restaurant.
Photograph: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)