LONDON: THEN AND NOW (VIDEOS)
It’s with good reason that our London trips are consistently some of our most popular European tours. People are fascinated by England’s rich history, and the 1920s, in particular, were a time when the British Empire was at its peak. It was said that “The sun never sets on the British Empire”, and that’s because during the 1920s the British Empire covered over a quarter of the world’s total land area with about 20% of the world’s population.
The British Film Institute recently revived and restored archival footage of London during its heyday in 1924 and 1927. A local cinematographer found the footage and decided to painstakingly recreate each shot to show side-by-side modern-day London and 1920s London. The result is fascinating.
From the filmmaker:
“During the 1920s, cinematographer Claude Friese-Greene traveled across the UK with his new colour film camera. His trip ended in London, with some of his most stunning images, and these were recently revived and restored by the BFI, and shared across social media and video websites.
Since February I have attempted to capture every one of his shots, standing in his footsteps, and using modern equivalents of his camera and lenses. This has been a personal study, that has revealed how little London has changed.”
The next video is a mashup of a humorous video portrayal from 1924 called “Wonderful London”. Note the names of the shows in the West End.
From the filmmaker:
“In 1924, Harry B. Parkinson and Frank Miller documented London in a fantastic series of short films, known as “Wonderful London”. Over the last few months, I have stood in their foot-steps, recapturing their shots exactly, and have blended the two together creating a window through time.”
It’s amazing to think of the vastness of the British Empire during the 1920s, and it’s also fascinating to see just how little London has changed since then. A visit to London is a fantastic way to literally walk in the footsteps of hundreds of years of global history and culture.
If you are interested in exploring London other areas of Great Britain, check out these great trips:
- Tour of London – 6 Days
- English Literature and Culture – 8 Days
- Biblical Tour of London – 6 Days
- Crowns, Cultures, and Stones – 8 Days
