LONDON THEN & NOW IN COLOUR

The professional photographer juxtaposes London's streets of old and new, with Roman stones and Saxon churches, Norman fortresses, Tudor palaces and Victorian bridges jostling for space with the futuristic glass and steel creations of contemporary architects. London's distinctive skyline has evolved organically over the centuries - the elegant dome of Sir Christopher Wren's famed cathedral, Sir Norman Foster's quirky Gherkin-shaped office building, and Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's Bankside Power Station, since transformed into the Tate Modern, each speak of different eras in London's history and happily co-exist. The atmospheric sepia photographs featured in this magnificent collection date to the 1890s when the art of photography was still a novelty and we are still in the realm of horse-drawn carts, glimmering gas lamps, pea-souper fogs and Oliver Twist-style urchins. Seeking out exactly the same viewpoint from which to create contemporary photographs was not always an easy task as much had been bombed during the Blitz and was now cluttered with fast-food outlets and parked cars. In some cases the scenes remain remarkably unaltered in over 100 years. A lively history written in the fabric of the streets we find some hidden gems at Covent Garden, Fleet Street, the Royal Exchange, Rotten Row in Hyde Park, the Palace Theatre, Seven Dials, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and the Old Curiosity Shop among this superb collection comparing 40 rare archive images and the most iconic views and landmarks. History Press large softback, 96pp, colour.