Vivid Vintage Photos of Life in London in the 1970s

The nostalgic images show the capital’s landmarks in the 1970s, a decade of feminism, Arsenal’s FA cup win and the launch of the concord. The era is known for being a time of cultural and political change – especially due to high inflation levels, IRA bomb threats and widespread trade union strikes. These fascinating collection of pictures, taken by photographer David Rostance, reveal what the capital looked like in this bygone era.

Fulham Broadway into Harwood Road, June 1977.

“I have been a keen amateur photographer since the age of 13, focussing mainly but not exclusively, on railway subjects,” Rostance told the Standard. He specialised in taking pictures of the UK’s railway and bus routes and began snapping quintessential British scenes in the sixties, armed with his Kodak Brownie 44A. “I began taking photographs in 1963 in a bid to record the rapidly disappearing steam locomotives then still in use at that time,” he said. “My interest waned following the demise of steam operations on British Railways in 1968 and went through an hiatus which lasted until 1975.”

More fascinating vintage photographs could be found at Rostance’s amazing Flickr site.

West Norwood, March 1975.

West Dulwich Station, March 1975.

Ice Cream for Crow, Gypsy Hill, March 1975.

Norwood Garage, March 1975.

Trafalgar Square, April 1975.

Whitehall and the Cenotaph, April 1975.

Muswell Hill Broadway, April 1975.

Blaw Knox, Crouch End, February 1976.

Bus route 14, Hornsey Rise, April 1976.

Haymarket into Pall Mall, April 1976.

Piccadilly, April 1976.

Pro-abortion rally taking place in Trafalgar Square, April 1976.

RM 735, Praed Street, Paddington, April 1976.

Trafalgar Square traffic jam, April 1976.

Victoria Embankment, April 1976.

Park Lane, April 1976.

Parliament Square, April 1976.

Buckingham Palace Road, May 1976.

Marching guardsmen in Pimlico Road, May 1976.

Paddington Station, May 1976.

Platform 8 at Paddington Station, May 1976.

Vintage Tilling bus, Charing Cross, June 1977.

SRM13, Silver Jubilee Routemaster, June 1977.

Scania Metropolitan, June 1977.

Novello Street, Fulham, June 1977.

LT District Line, Fulham, June 1977.