In 1616, fifty years before the Great Fire destroyed large parts of central London, Dutchman Claes Jansz Visscher produced an engraving of the city. Now Robin Reynolds has updated the view to the present day.
Things have changed. Gone are the decapitated heads on spikes over the southern gatehouse (the gruesome is now marked by a Portland stone spike sculpture in the shadow of The Shard), the original St Paul’s Cathedral, smouldering chimneys, shops along the old London Bridge and a low-rise vista. In comes height, Shakespeare’s Globe, a River Thames devoid of anything but a tourist boat, sheer-sided buildings and a lack of spires.
[slider a=”/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/3a.jpg” b=”https://flashbak.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/3.jpg”]
[slider a=”/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/4a.jpg” b=”https://flashbak.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/4.jpg”]
[slider a=”/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2a.jpg” b=”https://flashbak.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2.jpg”]
[slider a=”/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/1a.jpg” b=”https://flashbak.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/1-1.jpg”]
Via: Visscher Redrawn, The Guildhall Art Gallery
Would you like to support Flashbak?
Please consider making a donation to our site. We don't want to rely on ads to bring you the best of visual culture. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. And you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For great art and culture delivered to your door, visit our shop.
