Stunning colourised postcards from the Victorian era reveal how many of Britain's most iconic landmarks have barely changed, while some have been lost forever

  • These postcards were made using photochrom - a method of producing colourised photos from negatives
  • Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament all still stand in London 
  • But other images show dramatic changes, such one of pier in Weston-Super-Mare before it was destoryed

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These stunning colourised postcards from the Victorian era reveal how many of Britain's most iconic landmarks have barely changed, while some have been lost forever.   

Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament all still stand in London, looking almost identical to their postcard equivalents.

But other images show dramatic changes, such one of the pier in Weston-Super-Mare before it was wiped out by fire. 

Tower Bridge: This Victorian picture of Tower Bridge shows just how little the iconic landmark has changed over the years
Tower Bridge: This Victorian picture of Tower Bridge shows just how little the iconic landmark has changed over the years
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Tower Bridge: This Victorian picture of Tower Bridge shows just how little the iconic landmark has changed over the years

The pier at Weston-Super-Mare: The pier survived a fire in 1903 which destroyed its theatre but was wiped out by fire in 2008
Weston super mare now
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The pier at Weston-Super-Mare: The pier survived a fire in 1903 which destroyed its theatre but was wiped out by fire in 2008

Whitehall: The offices of government in central London have remained largely unchanged - unlike the people within them
Whitehall: The offices of government in central London have remained largely unchanged - unlike the people within them
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Whitehall: The offices of government in central London have remained largely unchanged - unlike the people within them 

North Pier, Blackpool: Blackpool was an attractive holiday destination in the Victorian times but boomed from the 1930s
North Pier, Blackpool: Blackpool was an attractive holiday destination in the Victorian times but boomed from the 1930s
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North Pier, Blackpool: Blackpool was an attractive holiday destination in the Victorian times but boomed from the 1900s as factory workers of Northern England took their annual holidays there en masse 

After building work, the pier steadily grew into an amusement attraction for the masses. The pier survived a 1930 fire which destroyed the theatre at its end, but couldn’t withstand a second damaging blaze in 2008.

The postcards were made using photochrom - a method of producing colourised photographs from black and white negatives via the direct photographic transfer of a negative onto lithographic printing plates.

It was invented in the 1880s and was most popular in the 1890s, when these images were taken. Although true colour photography had been developed by then it was not commercially practical yet.

The Clifton Suspension Bridge:
The Clifton Suspension Bridge:
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The Clifton Suspension Bridge: The most iconic bridge in Britain was designed by famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel

St. Michael's Mount, Penzance: The island is a civil parish and is linked to the town of Marazion by a man-made causeway of granite setts, passable between mid-tide and low water
St. Michael's Mount, Penzance: The island is a civil parish and is linked to the town of Marazion by a man-made causeway of granite setts, passable between mid-tide and low water
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St. Michael's Mount, Penzance: The island is a civil parish and is linked to the town of Marazion by a man-made causeway of granite setts, passable between mid-tide and low water

The White Cliffs of Dover: The iconic cliffs facing Europe have become a symbol of English identity and self-determination
The White Cliffs of Dover: The iconic cliffs facing Europe have become a symbol of English identity and self-determination
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The White Cliffs of Dover: The iconic cliffs facing Europe have become a symbol of English identity and self-determination

Durham Cathedral: The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham was completed in 1133
Durham Cathedral: The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham was completed in 1133
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Durham Cathedral: The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham was completed in 1133

Photochrom reproductions became popular due to the craze with sending postcards.

The iconic White Cliffs of Dover look much the same despite the 127-year gap between the postcard and today.

Other well-known landmarks in England are also pictured including Blackpool Tower, Westminster Abbey and Durham Cathedral.  

The Palace of Westminster: The meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Palace of Westminster: The meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
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The Palace of Westminster: The meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

 

Westminster Abbey: Founded in 960, it is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs

Westminster Abbey: Founded in 960, it is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs

Windsor Castle: The home of the Queen. The original castle was built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror

Windsor Castle: The home of the Queen. The original castle was built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror

Trafalgar Square and National Gallery
St. Paul's Cathedra

Left: Trafalgar Square and National Gallery. Right: St. Paul's Cathedral sitting on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London

King's College, Cambridge: King's was founded in 1441 by Henry VI, soon after he had founded its sister college in Eton

King's College, Cambridge: King's was founded in 1441 by Henry VI, soon after he had founded its sister college in Eton

Roman Baths in Bath: The city became a spa with the Latin name Aquæ Sulis ('the waters of Sulis') c. AD 60 when the Romans built baths and a temple in the valley of the River Avon

Roman Baths in Bath: The city became a spa with the Latin name Aquæ Sulis ('the waters of Sulis') c. AD 60 when the Romans built baths and a temple in the valley of the River Avon

Christ Church College, Oxford: Christ Church has produced thirteen British prime ministers, more than any other Oxbridge college

Christ Church College, Oxford: Christ Church has produced thirteen British prime ministers, more than any other Oxbridge college

The British Museum: The British Museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane

The British Museum: The British Museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane

Kensington Gardens: The gardens are shared by the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and sit immediately to the west of Hyde Park, in western central London

Kensington Gardens: The gardens are shared by the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and sit immediately to the west of Hyde Park, in western central London

Girton College, Cambridge: The college three miles from the town centre used to be girls' only but is now co-educational

Girton College, Cambridge: The college three miles from the town centre used to be girls' only but is now co-educational