London History Day celebrates what makes London a unique city. This gallery of images, from the Historic England Archive's evocative John Gay Collection, shows Londoners and tourists interacting with some of the capital city's famous historic places, buildings and monuments.
London History Day
London History Day is a celebration of what makes London a unique city. It takes place on 31 May every year, marking the anniversary of the day Big Ben (pictured here) first started keeping time in 1859. This gallery of images from the Historic England Archive shows how photographer John Gay captured some of London's great historic landmarks during the 20th century.
Women and children at the Peter Pan statue, Kensington Gardens, Westminster, London (1955/1965) by John GayHistoric England
Peter Pan statue
The story of 'the boy who wouldn't grow up' has delighted generations of readers since JM Barrie's magical stories were published in the early 20th century.
The statue in Kensington Park was commissioned by Barrie and sculpted by Sir George Frampton. It is placed on the spot where Peter lands in Barrie's story The Little White Bird.
Read the List entry for the Peter Pan statue.
A group of seated women opposite The Royal Albert Hall, Westminster, London (1955/1965) by John GayHistoric England
The Royal Albert Hall
Perhaps most well known for hosting the BBC Proms since 1941, the Royal Albert Hall has hosted some of the world's greatest performers.
Built between 1867 and 1871, it witnessed the suffrage movement's first militant act in London. It was a popular venue for suffragette meetings until they were banned here in 1913.
Muhammed Ali boxed here three times, Albert Einstein spoke here, and Eric Clapton has performed here over 200 times since his first appearance in 1964 with The Yardbirds.
Read the List entry for the Royal Albert Hall.
An elderly man and his dog seated in front of 'Cutty Sark', Greenwich, London (1954/1980) by John GayHistoric England
'Cutty Sark'
One of the world's most famous ships, Cutty Sark is a Greenwich landmark.
Famed for its record-breaking speed, it was built in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869. After a career as a cargo and training ship, it was brought to Greenwich in 1954 for restoration and opened to the public in 1957.
Read the List entry for Cutty Sark.
A group of workers leaning on a gate near St Paul's Cathedral, City of London (1955/1965) by John GayHistoric England
St Paul's Cathedral
Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece is one of London's iconic landmarks.
Built between 1675 and 1710, St Paul's is instantly recognisable, its massive central dome is one of the largest in the world.
John Gay photographed St Paul's many times in the 1950s and 60s. Around the time some notable events happened at St Paul's: Paul Robeson sang here in 1958, Martin Luther King gave a sermon here in 1964, and Winston Churchill's funeral was held here in 1965.
Read the List entry for St Paul's Cathedral.
A woman studying sculpture from the Parthenon at the British Museium, Bloomsbury, London (1962/1965) by John GayHistoric England
The British Museum
The British Museum is one of the country's most visited tourist attractions. Almost 6 million people visited in 2018.
Founded in 1753, it is the world's oldest national public musueum. Its present home was built between 1823 and 1847 in a Greek Revival style. If things had turned out differently, it could have been built on the site of Buckingham Palace!
Read the List entry for the British Museum.
A group pose with a policeman at the gates to Buckingham Palace, Westminster, London (1950/1970) by John GayHistoric England
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace has been the official London home of the British monarch since 1837.
Buckingham House was built as a townhouse for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703. It was later acquired by King George III as a home for Queen Charlotte.
The Trustees of the British Museum considered Buckingham House as a site for their new museum. However, they eventually decided to use Montague House, the site of the present British Museum.
Read the List entry for Buckingham Palace.
A busy Petticoat Lane Market, Middlesex Street, Whitechapel, City of London (1946/1959) by John GayHistoric England
Petticoat Lane Market
By the early 17th century, the area known as Peticote Lane, to the east of the City of London, was a place for the sale and exchange of clothing.
Immigrant Hugenots and later Jews fleeing persecution added their skills and vibrancy to the existing clothing industries and market stalls.
In this photograph, John Gay has captured the hustling market in Middlesex Street, with throngs of people inspecting goods at the roadside stalls.
Passengers waiting for a train on a platform at Liverpool Street Station, City of London (1947/1948) by John GayHistoric England
Liverpool Street Station
Liverpool Street Station is one of the country's busiest railway termini, ferrying commuters to and from the City of London.
Built on the site of the medieval Bethlehem Hopsital, Liverpool Street first opened to passengers in 1874.
In 1938 and 1939 nearly 10,000 refugee children fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe arrived in England. The first 200 alighted at Liverpool Street on 2 December 1938.
Read the List entry for Liverpool Street Station.
A group of Chinese visitors at the tomb of Karl Marx, Highgate Cemetery, Camden, London (1970/1985) by John GayHistoric England
Highgate Cemetery
Hightage Cemetery was laid out by the London Cemetery Company and opened in 1839.
Not only a successful cemetery, it became a popular place to promenade and for views over London.
Following decline, the Friends of Highgate Cemetery was formed in 1975 to preserve the cemetery. John Gay photographed Highgate from 1936 in all seasons, and supported the work of the Friends every weekend.
Read the List entries for Highgate Cemetery and the tomb of Karl Marx.
A policeman looks up at a boy climbing on a lion statue in Trafalgar Square, Westminster, London (1962) by John GayHistoric England
Trafalgar Square
Famous for Nelson's Column, Landseer's Lions, its fountains and pigeons, Trafalgar Square was laid out from the 1820s to connect the Strand to the West End, and to enhance the setting of the National Gallery, seen here in the background.
Trafalgar Square is one of the nation's great gathering places. It still is a place for celebrations, political rallies, public meetings and demonstrations.
Read the List entry for Trafalgar Square.
Morning rush-hour traffic on Westminster Bridge, Westminster, London (1950/1960) by John GayHistoric England
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Image: Westminster Bridge and Elizabeth Tower
This view from Westminster Bridge shows stationery rush hour traffic heading towards Parliament Square. Dominating the background is Elizabeth Tower, part of the Houses of Parliament. It is more popularly known as Big Ben, which is actually the name of the huge bell housed in the clock tower.
Photographer John Gay cycling along a London street with a step ladder strapped to his back (1943/1944) by Marie GayHistoric England
John Gay at the Historic England Archive
John Gay was born in Germany in 1909. He came to England in 1935 and established himself as a photographer in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
As early as 1979, Gay approached the National Monuments Record (now the Historic England Archive) to seek a home for his photographs after his death.
John Gay died in 1999. A collection of around 40,000 of Gay's negatives and prints are now cared for by the Historic England Archive.
Discover more about the John Gay Collection.
Historic England is the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England's spectacular historic environment, from beaches and battlefields to parks and pie shops.
Discover the Historic England Archive
