Victorian and Edwardian London from Old Photographs (1969) is a compilation of just over 200 photographs with a short introduction by John Betjeman. In making their selection, Betjeman and his fellow editors (Sam Carr and Brian Batsford, though they are only mentioned in passing) were obliged to make difficult decisions about what to include. They had to draw their geographical boundaries, then choose between a topographical or chronological presentation. Should they exclude motorised transport in order to stress the contrast with the age of the car? Should they focus on architecture or the people?
In the end they adopted a mixed approach, with some chapters focused on specific areas, others on more generic topics (‘the parks’, the railways’, ‘markets’). A couple are devoted to street traders and entertainers, and a pair of chapters contrast how the rich and’ less rich’ (a mix of the working class and the indigent) lived. The editors did not exclude the petrol engine, though horses predominate, and they found a balance between depictions of the buildings, the people, and the way they lived.
There is an emphasis on central London, with the small areas of the City, Westminster, and Kensington and Chelsea dealt with separately. The much bigger areas of the East End, the vaguely-demarcated ‘South of the River’, and the southern, western and northern suburbs are each disappointingly confined to a single chapter. Perhaps Betjeman and his collaborators would have argued that the centre contained a disproportionate number of sights of interest, but it gives a skewed view of the capital as a whole.
The photographs range from the 1840s but do not stray far into the Edwardian period. Reproduction is excellent. Betjeman’s captions are short but informative, often pointing out what has survived architecturally and what has been lost. Some captions include literary quotations to illuminate the subject depicted, but unfortunately no bibliography is included, making it difficult for anyone who wishes to follow up the source, especially when only the author is noted and not the work.
Looking back over the decades, Betjeman argues that in many instances we have ‘changed one sort of bad for another sort of bad,’ a verdict with which it is hard to disagree. He argues that what has been lost in many cities (not only London) thanks to post-war planning is a sense of character, a homogenising of styles at odds with the old idea of London as a collection of villages. He cannot resist the odd pop at the modern city, for example a snide remark about the rebuilt Elephant and Castle in which he suspects many locals find themselves lost when navigating it. I can’t say I ever had a problem when I lived ‘south of the river’, and I am sceptical Betjeman ever made the effort.
The Joy of Mere Words 