Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
Where old meets new
TIME TRAVEL PICTURES SHOW THE CHANGING FACE OF VICTORIA EMBANKMENT
UNLESS you have an eccentric scientist friend called Doc Brown and a cool car with the ability to take you back in time, it’s hard to grasp exactly how much London has changed since Victorian times.
In the present day we see towering skyscrapers across our city skyline with some historical features thrown in the mix.
And of course the place is drowning in history that we oversee every day, as we get on with our busy Londoner lifestyles.
But thankfully for us On Stride has created an incredible snapshot of Victorian England in a 21st Century setting.
Staff took a present day shot from Victoria Embankment in the exact same angle as an old picture to show how the areas have changed over time, before merging both images into one photo.
In 2019 you can clearly see a pier in the River Thames with Waterloo Bridge in the distance. None of this existed in 1800. During the Second World War, Waterloo was the only bridge to be affected by German bombs and was demolished to be rebuilt by a group of women during the blitz.
Most recently it became the site for major global warming protests from Extinction Rebellion.
A distinctive piece history shown in both images is the 3,500 year old ‘Cleopatra’s Needle’ which was originally erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis on the orders of Thutmose III, around 1450 BC and was put in its current London spot back in 1819.
There are also some other buildings missing in the distance of the Victorian image.
Imagine the modern features of the area placed in the 1800s.
This incredible merging image shows the evolution of Victoria Embankment from 125 years to present day.
The current Victoria Pier and second edition of Waterloo Bridge have been put beside the old look Victorian streets.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words — and these past-meets-present images could tell a lot of stories.
To see more of On Stride’s work with past and present images visit www.onstride.co. uk.