Nice collection of pics of foggy olde London Town of the 1950s

Thanks, this one is my favourite. Adore shots of fog.

Yes, love that, R1.

It was still misty in the '60s.

I don't know what happened. Climate change, I guess.

These hazes were not natural formations of the atmosphere: water vapour would stick to particulates released by coal-burning factories, producing dark and heavy clouds that impaired visibility. This variety of fog later came to be known as smog (a merging of the words smoke and fog), a term invented by a Londoner in the early 20th century.

[quote]I don't know what happened. Climate change, I guess.

Most of that fog in London in the old times was due to coal, no? At least that's what Jared Harris said on Mad Men when he was explaining the meaning behind the "London Fog" brand name.

I'm lucky as I get to see fog every day this time of year where I live, though it has nothing to do with pollution. Such a romantic and magical thing.

Ah, I see r3 got there first.

[quote]Most of that fog in London in the old times was due to coal, no? At least that's what Jared Harris said on Mad Men when he was explaining the meaning behind the "London Fog" brand name.

Point I was making is that it was still misty in the mornings in the '60s (&'70s) long after the clean air act...as in the pic I posted.

Oh, I thought you meant it got hotter because of the climate change and hence no fog.

The coal fog got so thick and dangerous, it would sometimes kill people. That’s what the article at R3 is about.

The Great Smog of 1952 was a pea-souper of unprecedented severity, induced by both weather and pollution. On the whole, during the 20th century, the fogs of London had become more infrequent, as factories began to migrate outside the city. However, on December 5, an anticyclone settled over London, a high-pressure weather system that caused an inversion whereby cold air was trapped below warm air higher up. Consequently, the emissions of factories and domestic fires could not be released into the atmosphere and remained trapped near ground level. The result was the worst pollution-based fog in the city’s history.

Visibility was so impaired in some parts of London that pedestrians were unable to see their own feet. Aside from the Underground, transportation was severely restricted. Ambulance services suffered, leaving people to find their own way to hospitals in the smog. Many people simply abandoned their cars on the road. Indoor plays and concerts were cancelled as audiences were unable to see the stage, and crime on the streets increased. There was a spike in deaths and hospitalizations relating to pneumonia and bronchitis, and herds of cattle in Smithfield reportedly choked to death. Though the fog lasted five days, finally lifting on December 9, its severity was not fully appreciated until the registrar general published the number of fatalities a few weeks later, which amounted to about 4,000. The effects of the smog were long-lasting, however, and present-day estimates rank the number of deaths to have been about 12,000.

One benefit of outsourcing all factories to China. The pollution is farther away.

China’s smog is basically ye olde London fog.

Picturesque, especially if you’re hoping everyone in China dies. Or starts glowing in the dark. Or mutating into real life X-Men.

Well at least the real estate was cheaper and middle class people could actually afford to live there then.

This guy posts amazing restoration pictures of historical London. It’s amazing.

R1 love the photos. Very evocative. What would Greta say about all that fog!? 😊

Why are so many of the men wearing top hats, in the 1950s? They don't seem to be in formal dress, the man in the first picture is wearing a businessman's day tie, not black or white tie.

I thought that by the 1920s, top hats had been relegated to formal wear only.

from r12's FAB link.

Born in the 1760s >

London 1875

It looks filthy.

But really shows the haves walking past the have-nots.

Looks like a painting 😍

Foggy Bottoms

Americans are taking the time to think of London?

That's a beauty, R18

Camden Town

^^ sorry that was 1919

Don't know the year for this.

I want to live in that time and place.

R24, you probably don't. Unless you want to die from smallpox or cholera

Wonderful photos,OP! Thanks.

Looks like Jack the Ripper could be lurking among them.

Probably not by 1919, he wasn’t.

Interesting that London seems to have gentrified even more than NYC. So much of the old pics seem like everyday life with everyday people. I can never figure out what was the original “nice” area of London - other than Kensington/Mayfair - that would be like Fifth Ave or Park Ave in NY.

Belgravia, R29.

1915 -

why on earth did they have open top buses in London, of all places?

Thanks R30. I kind of group Belgravia with Kensington/Mayfair. Seems like such a small area of single family homes for the wealthy - compared to the dense concentration of apartments in NYC over a similar sized area in NYC. Even though there was always lots of wealthy in London, curious why the wealthy areas were so small.

So much of wealthy London now seems like it was middle to lower income housing less than 50 years ago.

[quote]Thanks [R30]. I kind of group Belgravia with Kensington/Mayfair. Seems like such a small area of single family homes for the wealthy

It's not small at all.