Queen’s 90th: stunning black and white photos show London life in the year Elizabeth II was born
These stunning black and white photographs provide a fascinating glimpse of London life in 1926 - the year Queen Elizabeth II, whose official birthday falls on June 11 this year, was born.
It was a country in which a pint of milk cost the equivalent of 1.3p, a packet of 20 cigarettes would set you back less than 5p and the average house cost just £619.
The images feature all manner of jolly pursuits from the era, from a group of young children enjoying a game of cricket in Hyde Park to crowds outside the Empire Theatre, where Fred and Adele Astaire were starring in 'Lady, Be Good.'
Transport is also a peculiar sight to behold - vintage Crossley cars fill Piccadilly Circus at rush hour, while elsewhere, a woman rides a bicycle contraption with a pram attached to the front - an idea that, unsurprisingly, never caught on.
But 1926 was also a year of domestic unrest. Less than two weeks after celebrating the royal birth, Britain was divided by a industrial conflict that almost led to a revolution.
One of the most poignant images features crowd of volunteers in the forecourt of London's Foreign Office, during the General Strike.
An early Crufts dog show at Crystal Palace, scenes from London Zoo and the electrification of the London Underground also feature.
Click through our gallery above to discover what London life was like, back in 1926.
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