Thursday 9 August 2012

City of London, King William Statue and Eastcheap c1913

City of London, King William Statue and Eastcheap circa 1913. In this animated postcard by the publishers C. & A. G. Lewis of Nottingham we can see the King William IV statue that was erected in 1844. The statue faced London Bridge. The statue was moved to King William Walk, Greenwich Park in 1938. It now stands on a far less impressive plinth. In the distance on the left we can see Eastcheap. Unfortunately only one building from the postcard's time has survived into the 21st century - the domed building in the middle distance directly above the rear part of the bus on the left. This bus is on its way to Croydon from Liverpool Street. The bus on the right has come from Ealing and is nearly at its destination, London Bridge Station, just over the river. Behind the statue is one of the entrances to Monument Underground station. For a couple of other views of the King William IV statue and this area have a look at this earlier post. Postcards by C. & A. G. Lewis are often of the highest quality and are very collectable. This one is no exception. I am particularly struck by the woman on the extreme left of the picture and the old man wearing a boater talking to a policeman on the right. This postcard has been scanned at 300dpi (1575 x 988 pixels) so it may be worth downloading to your computer to see all of the detail. Click the postcard to enlarge (then right-click, 'save image as' if you wish to save it to your computer).

For more old images have a look at this week's Sepia Saturday blog.



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10 comments:

  1. You really do have to click and enlarge to see the wonderful detail in this shot. It is a beauty (and yes, I have saved it; thanks)

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  2. Very nice postcard and must say you've got a keen eye! I tried to find the Sepia Saturday picture on Streetview but no luck. I think I can see a Bang & Olufsen shop on the original. So I thought we are looking at Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen but I am not sure.

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  3. What a fun postcard to look at. Fashion - transportation - commerce. I can see why the Lewis cards are valuable.

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  4. I didn't even see the woman you referred to until I enlarged it. There's so much to see on this card - that dapper man in the middle of the photo, the other one dashing across the street, and the very relaxed policeman.

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  5. A wonderfully animated image. I'm struck by all the verbiage everywhere you look. Urban life was distracting then too, even without the cellphone.

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  6. Having enlarged the card I now have to find out who or what "Wee Scottie" was. Cards like this always make me take a fresh look at towns I visit to see what I haven't seen before.

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  7. Again, I am a fan of yesterday....there was so much life and exciting things about back in the day. Your lady on the left must have been moving....! What a great photo, thanks!

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  8. I always like seeing all the signs in street views like that. I think the man walking in the center is what makes the scene come alive.

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  9. I like the architecture of the old buildings, especially those in Eastcheap.

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  10. Busy street scene so full of life. When it's enlarged, there's even more to see - a small child running across the street on the left side, three modes of transportation - ice buggy/wagon with horse, a car beside it and several buses. Great picture and I love the architectural details.

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