London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

Oldest Footage of London Ever

Yestervid
This is the oldest footage of London ever. Includes amazing old footage, plus modern shots of the same location today. Also features maps carefully researched to show where the camera was. Arranged by location, 46 shots of classic footage with a twist and an inspiring soundtrack.

This collection of footage was taken between 1890 and 1920 and shows various places around London, all identifiable by location on a map.

In order they are:

WESTMINSTER:

1. Parliament square, looking across at Big Ben

2. Westminster Abbey

3. Westminster Abbey from Tothill Street

4. Houses of Parliament from the South Bank

5. Houses of Parliament from across the Thames River

6. Big Ben from Westminster Bridge

7. Flipbook animation of the south side of Westminster Bridge

8. Downing Street, home of the Prime Minister

9. No 10 Downing Street door

EMBANKMENT

10. Victoria Embankment

11. Cleopatra's Needle

12. Egyptian Lions at Cleopatra's Needle

13. Blackfriars Bridge

ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

14. St Paul's Cathedral from the South Bank

15. St Paul's Cathedral from across the Thames River

16. St Paul's Cathedral from the tower of St Mary Le Bow Church

TOWER BRIDGE & TOWER OF LONDON

17. Tower of London viewed through Tower Bridge

18. Tower Bridge looking south from the parapet

19. Tower Bridge closing after allowing a boat to pass

20. Looking south along the length of Tower Bridge

21. Panorama of the Tower of London from Tower Bridge

22. South side of the Tower of London

23. Tommies marching in the moat

THE CITY

24. Monument to the Great Fire of 1666

25. Pan up the Monument

26. The Bank of England

27. The Bank of England from Cheapside

28. St Mary Le Bow tower from Cheapside

FLEET ST & THE STRAND

29. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub

30. Temple Bar Memorial

31. The Royal Courts of Justice

THE WEST END

32. The Empire Theatre, Leicester Square

33. Piccadilly Circus

CHARING CROSS & TRAFALGAR SQAURE

34. Eleanor Cross at Charing Cross Station

35. Panorama of Trafalgar Square

36. Admiralty Arch

37. Nelson's Column

ST JAMES & BUCKINGHAM PALACE

38. Crimean War Memorial

39. St James's Palace

40. Band at St James's Palace

41. Buckingham Palace

42. Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace

HYDE PARK

43. Hyde Park Corner

44. Hyde Park Corner traffic

45. Hyde Park

TRAFALGAR SQAURE

46. Oldest footage of London - Trafalgar Square (1890)

CREDITS

Footage
Bombing of London, 1917, PD
Seeing London - ca 1920s, PD
Westminster Bridge Robert W Paul, 1896, PD
Edwardian London, 1911, PD
Early Traffic Scenes, 1890-1900, PD
Old London Street Scenes, 1903, PD
Blackfriars Bridge, R.W. Paul, 1896, PD
1890s Traffic Scenes, 1897, PD
Garde descendante du palais St-James,
Louis Lumière & Auguste Lumière, 1896, PD
Londres, Piccadilly Circus,
Louis Lumière & Auguste Lumière, 1896, PD
Entrée du Cinématographe,
Louis Lumière & Auguste Lumière, 1896, PD
Londres, entrée de Hyde Park,
Louis Lumière & Auguste Lumière, 1896, PD
Londres, Pont De Westminster et Parlement,
Auguste Lumière 1896, PD
Hyde Park Bicycling Scene, Robert W Paul, 1896, PD
Trafalgar Square, Wordsworth Donisthorpe, 1890, PD

Music
Just Me and My Thoughts, Published by Audioblocks
Recording of Big Ben, Edison brown wax cylinder
Ferguson/Hope/Gouraud, PD
Morning Sun, Published by Audioblocks
Anthem To The Fallen, Published by Audioblocks
Smoker's Section, Published by Audioblocks
Softly Inspiring, Published by Audioblocks
Lightness, Published by Audioblocks
The Rule, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under CC by 3.0
Black And White Rag, 1908,
Composed by George Botsford
Performed by Winifred Atwell, 1952, PD

Photographs
Poppies At The Tower Of London, 2014,
Martin Pettitt, CC by 2.0
London bridge photo from hot air balloon,
2014, Daniel Chapman,
www.stirlingackroyd.com, www.balloon.tv, CC by 2.0
Aerial photo from hot air balloon of tower bridge,
2014, Daniel Chapman,
www.stirlingackroyd.com, www.balloon.tv, CC by 2.0
Trooping The Colour,
2007, Jon Bennett, CC by 2.0
London From The Shard, 2013,
Flickr user: [Duncan], CC by 2.0
Shutterstock

Thanks to
The People of London
Simon Meyer
St Mary Le Bow Church
Open Street Maps

Directed by
Al Paton

Produced by
Yestervid


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