Travel back in time to 1920s London

This gem of a video is from the British Film Institute but came my way via my friend Joanna Moncrieff on Facebook. Jo is a qualified tour guide in London and has a blog Westminster Walking.

The video shows London in 1927 – in colour! Lots of familiar landmarks like Westminster and Buckingham Palace and plenty of red double-decker bus action. But also a few surprises and notable differences – like the cricket grounds and the fact that the Tower of London actually dominates the skyline, rather than being surrounded by high-rise.

I especially liked the footage of the crowds on Petticoat Lane – just as busy as modern-day London but replete with 1920s fashions. It is a silent movie but narrated with captions and I loved the language used. (I don’t think I’ve ever heard a peanut categorised as a “fruit” before!).

Enjoy! If you like this post, check out my other posts on time travel.

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Comments

  1. Jen Laceda says:

    What a very interesting film! I actually watched the whole 10-minutes of it!
    .-= Jen Laceda´s last blog ..Legendary Dance Parties, Circa 1995-2005 =-.

    It’s long for online video but quite rewarding! Glad you liked it. – Caitlin.

  2. Fida says:

    What an exciting time document – the year my father was born. That peanut girl is too cute, though those Sunday man were a little scary ;-)
    .-= Fida´s last blog ..Oct 29, Treehouses =-.

  3. tom says:

    Excellent video! I like to watch old films and documentaries. Thank you for sharing.

  4. Chris says:

    Interesting video,the London of today is not very different, even the police offices have the same uniform!

  5. Maria says:

    I think the police uniforms are a bit different now! And so are many things but this is still at the heart of it all, its a fantastic place!

  6. Bill says:

    I dig coming across this type of stuff on the web.

    The period pieces such as this, when done well as this one is, provide you with some insight to other place and time.

    A little bit like a time machine, but without the flexcapacitor.

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  1. [...] you like this video, you’ll probably enjoy this vintage footage of 1920s London from the British Film Institute as well. Or you can view all my posts on time travel – some [...]

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