Piccadilly Circus in 2015 and 1896. (Yestervid)
This video, “Oldest Footage of London Ever,” from Yestervid, one-ups its own videos of old footage of New York posted here a few days ago by including not only the old footage but also side-by-side old and new footage – not stills – of the city, mostly from the early 1900s but as far back as 1890. The helpful maps are there, too. Again, observers nowadays must be mindful that people a century ago saw the “now” clips we see today in crisp living color in equally crisp living color, not the somewhat jumpy, grainy, smudgy, black & white “then” clips on this video. Fascinating nevertheless, especially the people walking along the streets and the horse taxis. “Hop aboard, Holmes! Where to?” How Londoners on foot negotiated the melee of street traffic a century ago defies the imagination.
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About David Brussat
This blog was begun in 2009 as a feature of the Providence Journal, where I was on the editorial board and wrote a weekly column of architecture criticism for three decades. Architecture Here and There fights the style wars for classical architecture and against modern architecture, no holds barred.
History Press asked me to write and in August 2017 published my first book, "Lost Providence." I am now writing my second book.
My freelance writing on architecture and other topics addresses issues of design and culture locally and globally.
I am a member of the board of the New England chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, which bestowed an Arthur Ross Award on me in 2002.
I work from Providence, R.I., where I live with my wife Victoria, my son Billy and our cat Gato.
If you would like to employ my writing and editing to improve your work, please email me at my consultancy, dbrussat@gmail.com, or call 401.351.0457.
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- Nikos Salingaros, mathematician at the University of Texas, architectural theorist and author of many books.
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