Victoria Embankment, London

A ‘Sphinx’ adjacent to Cleopatra’s Needle on the Victoria Embankment, London. The photograph was taken between 1910 and the 1930s by the photographer E. O. Hoppé. The old Waterloo Bridge can be seen in the background.
Image: Photographer – E. O. Hoppé 
My photograph (taken in August 2019) shows a mature tree in front of the sphinx, the ‘new’ Waterloo Bridge (opened in 1945) and a dramatically altered London City skyline. Someone has chosen the Sphinx’s feet to have a rest.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Lord’s Cricket Ground, London

I am not sure of the date (assume 1930s), but I believe it to be an early attempt to televise Test cricket from Lord’s. The cameramen and the photographer are positioned on top of a previous version of the Mound Stand. The Pavilion can be seen to the left of the photograph with an early Warner Stand towards the centre. The stand to the right is the 1926 Grand Stand.
Image: Photographer unknown
In this photograph (taken in October 2019), the Pavilion remains but there are new Warner (2017) and Grand (1997) Stands. The main camera positions these days are behind the bowlers’ arms at both ends.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Holborn Circus, London

The Negretti and Zambra building at Holborn Circus, London following a German bombing raid in 1941. The damage to the buildings in the background was devastating. The equestrian statue of Prince Albert stands to the right of the photograph.
Image: Fox Photos / Getty — Jim Dyson / Getty
The Prince Albert statue is the only survivor from the 1940 photograph. The huge changes from 1940 to September 2017 are very apparent.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Coventry Street, London

A photograph taken from Coventry Street, looking towards Piccadilly Circus. On the right, the cinema is showing ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘For A Few Dollars More’, which would date the photograph at around 1964/65.
Image: Photographer unknown
The same scene in March 2019 shows a completely different traffic system, although the majority of the buildings remain unchanged.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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King’s Head Hill, Chingford, London

The King’s Head public house was first referred to in the early 1780s. It sits at the top of a steep hill leading to Enfield. The hill was named after the pub. Over the years, it has undergone many alterations and extensions. This photograph was taken in 1918.
Image: Photographer unknown (see Old Chingford Facebook page)
A photograph of the same location, taken in February 2020.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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St. Paul’s, Covent Garden, London

St. Paul’s Church (the actors’ church) in Covent Garden was completed in 1633 and cost £4,866 – paid by the Bedford estate. It was finally consecrated in 1638. When Covent Garden was made a separate parish, the church was dedicated to St. Paul. This engraving which is noted as ‘pre-1677’ was by Wenceslas Holler.
In 1789 the church was extensively restored but was burnt down six years later (September 1795). A survey found that the outer walls were structurally sound, but the portico needed to be rebuilt. However, it is not certain that this was actually done. The church was reconsecrated in August 1798.
The first known victim of the 1665–1666 Plague was buried in the churchyard in April 1665. Her name was Margaret Ponteous,
Image: Wenceslas Holler
The church has always had connections with the theatrical and artistic professions. In fact, the artist J.M. Turner and W.S. Gilbert were both baptised here. The church is renowned for the many plaques commemorating the lives of famous performers. These include – Charlie Chaplin, Gracie Fields, Noel Coward, Boris Karloff, Vivien Leigh and Richard Greene. I took this photograph in December 2017.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Tottenham Court Road, London

Centre Point was built between 1963 and 1966 at a cost of £5.5 million. It was built on the site of the St. Giles Rookery (17th century) – one of the worst slums in the country. It was an overcrowded, squalid area and, following a huge influx of Irish workers, it was nicknamed ‘Little Ireland’. Open sewers often ran through rooms and residents complained of living in appalling conditions. The rookery was home to countless gin shops, prostitutes’ rooms and narrow alleyways designed to baffle the police. Peter Ackroyd wrote – “The Rookeries embodied the worst living conditions in all of London’s history; this was the lowest point which human beings could reach”.
Built as office space, it was hoped that the entire building would be occupied by a single tenant. However, it remained vacant for many years. In 1969, the homeless charity Centrepoint was founded in response to the building being empty and ‘an affront to the homeless’.
Image: Photographer unknown
Between 1980 and 2014, Centre Point was the headquarters of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and in 2015 was refurbished to provide luxury residential flats. By March 2020, Centre Point has been completely refurbished and sits above the soon-to-be-opened Tottenham Court Road Crossrail station.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Charing Cross Road, London

An entrance to Leicester Square underground station in the early 1970s – next door is Wyndham’s Theatre. Godspell opened there in 1972 and closed in 1974.
This theatre was designed in around 1898 and opened by the actor/manager Charles Wyndham. Intended to accommodate 759 patrons, capacity was later increased when the building added another seating level – taking it to four. The theatre was listed as ‘Grade II’ in 1960.
Wyndham’s Theatre opened on November 16 1899, in the presence of the Prince of Wales. In the intervening years, the theatre has played host to many well-known productions, including ‘The Boy Friend’, ‘Godspell’, and ‘Art’. Madonna debuted in the West End at this theatre in 2002 (‘Up For Grabs’). In 2005, the theatre came under Cameron Mackintosh’s Management and, since then, has seen productions including, ‘Heroes’, ‘The History Boys’, ‘Ivanov’, and now, Tom Stoppard’s ‘Leopoldstadt’.
Image: Collage – The London Picture Archive
The same view in February 2020. A little busier with street furniture, and the signpost to the ‘Public Lending Library’ has long since gone.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Grace Gates, Lord’s Cricket Ground, St. John’s Wood Road, London

The Grace Gates at Lord’s Cricket Ground were designed by Sir Herbert Baker and erected in 1923. This photograph dates from that time. They were built as a tribute to W. G. Grace who had died eight years before (in 1915).
Constructed from cast iron, the gates bear motifs of a cricket ball, the sun’s rays, and the initials of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). They are set within the south wall of Lord’s on St John’s Wood Road between two curved structures made from Portland stone. Between the two pairs of gates, there is a central pillar (also made of Portland stone – this is topped by a stone carving of three stumps and urn. There is also an engraved inscription – ‘TO THE MEMORY OF WILLIAM GILBERT GRACE THE GREAT CRICKETER: 1848–1915: THESE GATES WERE ERECTED: THE MCC AND OTHER FRIENDS AND ADMIRERS.’
Grace played first-class cricket for over 40 years and was unrivalled in his fame and ability during the late nineteenth century.
Image: Photographer unknown
In March 2020, the gates remain although the buildings behind them have completely changed in the intervening 97 years. One of the Victorian pavilion’s turrets can be seen in both photographs – just to the right of the central stone pillar.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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Aldwych, London

A photograph (from the 1900s) of The Gaiety Theatre – located at one end of the Aldwych, where it meets the Strand. The theatre was built in 1864 on the former site of the Lyceum Theatre. It was initially known as the Strand Musick Hall and the name was changed to the Gaiety Theatre in 1868. Over the years, it became known for music hall, burlesque, pantomime and operetta.
In the 1890s, the theatre presented a new style of musical theatre, known as Edwardian musical comedy. These shows included female dancers who became the ‘Gaiety Girls’. The building was demolished in 1903 and rebuilt. At the start of World War II (in 1939), the theatre closed and remained empty. It was extensively bombed during the war and remained empty until it was demolished in 1956.
Image: Photographer unknown
A totally different building exists on the site in February 2020.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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