Albert Embankment, London

In 1991, the construction of this building caught the eye of Steve Williams who took this photograph. The building was opened in July 1994 by H. M. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh as the headquarters of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Services (SIS) – or MI6.
In the 19th century, the location of the SIS building was occupied by the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. When the Gardens were removed in the 1850s, industrial buildings occupied the site. These included a glass factory, a vinegar works and a gin distillery. Excavation of the site during construction found evidence of glass kilns dating from the 17th century, and also barge houses, and an inn called The Vine.
Image: Steve Williams
The project to construct the SIS HQ was approved in 1988 by the Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher). There is a rumour that a tunnel exits from here to Whitehall. Also, the windows are triple glazed for security purposes. Large parts of the building are below street level, with numerous underground corridors linking areas in the building. This photograph was taken in January 2017.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Whitehall, London

Another view of the Cenotaph in Whitehall. This one was taken at the Remembrance Day parade in November 1923. On the right hand side of the photograph is a B-Type bus (B43). These vehicles (900 in total) were used in WW1 to move British troops around. They were painted khaki and their windows were removed as they were prone to break – mainly due to contact with the soldiers’ rifles.  The B-Type buses served until the end of the war. They were then used to help bring the troops home.
In the 1920s, the B43 was withdrawn from service and was given the nickname ‘Ole Bill’ – after a caricature of a British soldier by Bruce Bairnsfather. An example of ‘Ole Bill’ can be seen in the Imperial War Museum.
Image: Photographer unknown
From the same spot in February 2017.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Whitehall, London

The Cenotaph in Whitehall was originally a temporary structure which was erected at the end of the first World War to be the centrepiece of a peace parade. Following public demand, it was replaced by a permanent structure in 1920 and became the UK’s official national war memorial.
Edwin Lutyens designed the Cenotaph which is made of Portland stone. The annual Service of Remembrance is held here (led by the Monarch) on the closest Sunday to Armistice Day (November 11th) every year. Lutyens’s design has been replicated in other locations in the UK and in other countries including Australia and Canada.
Image: Old UK Photos (1935)
The Cenotaph from the same position in May 2019.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Forest Road, Walthamstow, London

The William Morris Gallery is located in a Georgian house which was built in the 1740s. It is set in Lloyd Park in Walthamstow (N.E. London). The house was Morris’s family home in the 1850s. It is the only public Gallery devoted to William Morris.
The building is a wonderful example of Georgian domestic architecture. Records imply that there was a house on the same site going back to the 15th century.
Image: Photographer unknown (1890s)
Following a major refurbishment, the Gallery reopened in 2012. This photograph was taken in March 2017.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Albertinaplatz, Vienna

Albertinaplatz in Vienna – this photograph was taken in around 1889. The photographer was standing near to the front of the Sacher Hotel.
Image: Sammlung Hubmann
The same view of the square in December 2019. The equestrian statue of Archduke Albrecht (in the centre) was added in 1899. Following extensive bombing in 1945, some of the surrounding buildings have been rebuilt.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Volksgarten, Vienna

Situated in Vienna’s Volksgarten, the Theseus Temple is reminiscent of a Greek temple – slightly out of context in Vienna! It was built in 1829 to house a single piece of sculpture by Antonio Canova – the Theseus Group. Completed in the 1810s, the statue depicts Theseus battling the centaur, Eurytus, and is now situated in Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM – Art History) where it sits on the main staircase.
Image: Photographer unknown (1965)
The Temple was extensively renovated in 2010 and the building returned to the control of the KHM. This is the same view in January 2017. The KHM uses the Theseus Temple for a series of exhibitions of single works of contemporary art – a nod to the building’s original purpose.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Bishopsgate, London

Photographed in the early 1900s, this is Dirty Dick’s, a pub in London’s Bishopsgate. First established in 1745, it was originally called ‘The Old Jerusalem’ and took the name ‘Dirty Dick’s in 1814. According to legend, it was named after the original Dirty Dick – Nathaniel Bentley, a successful mid-18th century merchant. Following the death of his bride on their wedding day, apparently Bentley never washed or changed his clothes for the rest of his life. He died in 1809. Charles Dickens knew the drinking establishment and was interested in Bentley’s story. Some say that Nathaniel Bentley inspired the character of Miss Havisham in Dickens’s novel ‘Great Expectations’.
In 1866, the pub was described thus – “A small public house or rather a tap of a wholesale wine and spirit business…a warehouse or barn without floorboards – a low ceiling, with cobweb festoons dangling from the black rafters – a pewter bar battered and dirty, floating with beer – numberless gas pipes tied anyhow along the struts and posts to conduct the spirits from the barrels to the taps – sample phials and labelled bottles of wine and spirits on shelves – everything covered with virgin dust and cobwebs.”
Dirty Dick’s was rebuilt in the 1870s, though the cellars are from an earlier time. The pub was also renowned for displaying some strange artefacts, including a number of dead cats. Some artefacts are now displayed in a glass cabinet.
Image: Bishopsgate Institute
The March 2021 version of the same location.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Charing Cross Road, London

The Garrick Theatre – named after the actor David Garrick – is located in Charing Cross Road, London. The theatre opened in 1889 and played host to many long-running comedies including ‘No Sex Please, We’re British’, which ran for four years in the 1980s. The Garrick Theatre was initially financed by W.S. Gilbert and designed by Walter Emden. During construction, an underground river was discovered on the site. This photograph was taken around 1960 when the musical ‘Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be’ was playing.
In 1968, the theatre was threatened with demolition due to the proposed redevelopment of Covent Garden. However, the scheme was later abandoned. The theatre is currently owned by Nimax Theatres (along with the Lyric, Apollo, Vaudeville and Duchess Theatres).
Image: Photographer unknown
Almost 60 years later (November 2017), the trees are larger but still recognisable.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Marble Arch, London

Marble Arch was designed by John Nash as a triumphal arch, and the principal entrance to Buckingham Palace. It was constructed in 1827 and originally stood near the central part of the front of the palace – just below the balcony used on state occasions.
In 1851, the Arch was relocated to the junction of Park Lane, Oxford Street and Edgware Road. When Park Lane was widened in the 1960s, it was effectively in the middle of a huge traffic island. The area surrounding the arch is called ‘Marble Arch’, as is the nearby London Underground station. From the cars and dress styles, I assume that this photograph was taken in the 1910s.
Image: Photographer unknown
I took this photograph in January 2018. Again, the growth of the trees in the intervening 100 years is noticeable. I had to be very careful as cars are much quicker these days!
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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