Bank of England exhibition reveals views from London's past

Ludgate Hill and St Paul's Cathedral as seen in 1780 and today

An exhibition contrasting London today with images of the capital in centuries past has opened.

Picture the City uses landscape paintings acquired by the Bank of England over the years and places them alongside modern-day views.

Curator Kirsty Parsons said the images showed how "our daily lives have both changed and remained the same".

The exhibition can be viewed online as well as at sites throughout the city.

The view from Waterloo Bridge in 1860

The eight paintings show people shopping, working or relaxing in various parts of the capital over the past 300 years.

The sites include a view of London Bridge and the City, workers on the River Thames and people having a picnic in Hampstead.

Herbert Pugh, Joseph van Aken, Jan Griffier and Thomas Wyck are among the artists whose works are on display.

Covent Garden in the early 18th Century

Temporary signs which have the pictures on them have been placed in the different parts of the city, along with stories and facts about the buildings featured.

A list of the locations can be found on the Bank of England Museum website, while the exhibition can also be viewed online on the Google Arts & Culture site.

Hampstead as seen in about 1800

Ms Parsons, from the Bank of England Museum, said the images had been picked "to show how the economic landscape of London has changed over the past centuries.

"This exhibition explores how people of London have always been looking for ways to live, work and play in the city, and the ways in which our daily lives have both changed and remained the same."

The exhibition will run until 20 March.

London Bridge seen from Pepper Alley in 1766

All images are subject to copyright