These stock shots of pedestrians and vehicles in London were shot some time during World War II. The large number of men and women in uniform and the relative lack of private vehicles on the streets all attest to that.
0:07 This shot is looking north on Great Windmill Street from Shaftsbury Avenue. In the distance is the famous Windmill Theatre.
0:40 This and the next three scenes were taken at the corner of Great Windmill Street and Coventry Street, at the eastern end of Piccadilly Circus.
1:58 In this second shot, we can see the long-gone Winston Hotel across the street from the tobacconist’s.
3:44 In this shot, looking towards the heart of Piccadilly Circus, we can see the base of the Shaftsbury Memorial Fountain (popularly, but incorrectly, known as “Eros”), under cover.
This is original color film, not colorized black-and-white. You can find versions of these clips online that have been stabilized, interpolated and color-corrected to the point that they look like they were shot yesterday. I’ve chosen to let the film show its age.
The music is from A London Symphony (Symphony No. 2) by Ralph Vaughan Williams. It is performed, in a classic recording, by the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Sir John Barbirolli.
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Fascinating. Thank you for uploading.
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Even back then everybody was mugging for the camera😄…. And thanks to all the service men in the film….
Going by the number of US servicemen we see it must have been after Pearl Harbor, 1942 or later.
To think, one of those handsome soldiers could be my Grandfather, before he was set to France. Or my Uncle "Wild Bill" who was stationed in England as a B-17 Bombardier!