Then and Now: Iconic Landmarks At The Time Of The Coronation And In Modern Times

During Her Majesty The Queen’s 70 year reign, much of society and culture has changed. Our ‘Then and Now’ series compares 1950s photos of famous locations and landmarks with recent images.

Share your memories, stories and photos from your community from the past 7 decades by emailing platinum.jubilee@dcms.gov.uk

Explore our interactive slider images to scroll between historic and recent photos

Tower Bridge, London

Tower Bridge with Ship Passing Though on River Thames, London, circa 1955 Tower Bridge, 2022
  • Tower Bridge, circa 1955: The original photo shows the capital's famous bridge being raised as a ship passes through. The Tower of London can be seen in the background on the north bank.
  • Tower Bridge, 2022: The second image was taken in January this year. The Tower of London can be seen in the background, alongside a cluster of skyscrapers in the City of London.

St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh

St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, taken in 1950s St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh
  • St Giles Cathedral, 1950s: Cars are parked up beside the statue of Walter Francis Montagu Douglas Scott in Edinburgh's Parliament Square.
  • St Giles Cathedral, 2021: This recent photo was taken on a quiet sunny September day.

Piccadilly Circus, London

Piccadilly Circus, Eros, 1950s Piccadilly Circus, 2022
  • Piccadilly Circus, 1950s: Cars and buses drive around the "Eros" fountain. Billboard signs advertise tobacco, alcohol and petrol.
  • Piccadilly Circus, 2022: The area around the "Eros" fountain has been pedestrianised. Billboards have been replaced by "The Piccadilly Curve" — a single high-res screen for advertising.

Queen Street, Cardiff

Queen Street, 1950s
  • Queen Street, 1959: Cardiff's original Woolworths store was situated here between the 1910s and the 1980s.
  • Queen Street, 2022: Many of the shops have changed and the street is now pedestrianised.

Trafalgar Square, London

Trafalgar Square, 1950s Trafalgar Square, 2022
  • Trafalgar Square, 1950s: People sit on benches and walk around central London's famous square. The National Gallery is in the background.
  • Trafalgar Square, 2022: A wide set of steps was added to the newly pedestrianised terrace in front of the National Gallery in 2003. The Forth Plinth, famous for its revolving art installations plays host to a sculpture depicting a whirl of cream, called 'The End', designed by British artist Heather Phillipson.

Share your memories, stories and photos from your community from the past 7 decades by emailing platinum.jubilee@dcms.gov.uk. We will share a selection of them across our digital and social media channels.