Foggy London Town: Eerie Photographs Show The Capital In Grip Of Smog During The Gloomy Winter Months In The Early 20th Century (Photo Essay)

M2RB: Frank Sinatra

A foggy day in London Town
Had me low and had me down
I viewed the morning with alarm
The British Museum had lost its charm
How long, I wondered, could this thing last?
But the age of miracles hadn't passed,
For, suddenly, I saw you there
And through foggy London Town
The sun was shining everywhere.

Cold winter conditions forced people to burn more coal to get keep warm, leading to increased levels of air pollution throughout the 1900s. Workers are seen traversing a snow cased Westminster Bridge in London

By Jennifer Smith

As the balmy weather of recent weeks is set to last, winter seems a long way off in most parts of the country. 

But a collection of photographs from the early 20th century is sure to send a chill down the spines of those who thought colder days would never come, with its grim depiction of dark, long drawn winters in the 1900s.  

Among the dreary images which capture London's quintessentially British climate are several of the city's Great Smog of 1952, in addition to others which depict the clammy, summer fogs of the past century.

17th January 1927: City workers in Woodford, London are warned their journeys to work may be hindered by fog which could bring railways and roads to a complete standstill with poor visibility 

October 1919: A man braves the blinding fog to deliver ice around London. Thick smogs regularly fell upon the city from the onset of winter in October until the beginning of Spring

5th October 1931: Workmen prepare fog lamps at Westminster Council's depot in Chelsea, London, ahead of expected fog in November

November 1922: Fog encases workers at Ludgate Circus, London. It was reported that Londoners compared the effects of winter fogs to being blind as they could often only see a few yards ahead

26th October 1938: Heavy fog brought ships to a standstill in their moorings on the River Thames at the Pool of London before a ray of sun pierces through the smog allowing them to go on with their business 

In December 1952, London was suffocated by a thick cloud of fog which became known as the Great Smog after it claimed a reported 4,000 lives.

Frosty temperatures at the beginning of December were combined with stagnant, windless conditions which trapped the chilly city underneath a lid of warmer air, creating a roof of polluted mist which oozed through the streets.

The murky conditions brought most forms of public transport to a complete standstill, with the London Underground being the only one which didn't depend on good visibility. 

26th October 1938: Barges crowd together at Hay's Wharf in Southwark, London on the first clear day after a week of traffic-stopping fog

5th December 1952: A family feed pigeons ahead of the Great Smog of 1952 which is believed to have caused 4,000 deaths among residents with existing respiratory problems

November 1953: Almost a year after the Great Smog a couple are seen wearing smog masks while walking in London for fear of contracting airborne infections

Mid-morning smog in December 1952 as seen from the embankment at Blackfriars, London. Visibility was reportedly reduced to just a few yards during the winter of 1952 after a heavy smog descended upon the city

The large amount of coal being used by residents to keep warm worsened levels of airborne pollution, breeding illness among locals who likened the grim weeks to being blind, as it was reportedly impossible to see beyond a few yards ahead.

Though London was used to thick fogs known as 'pea soupers', the Great Smog was the longest and most dense it had ever seen, and is considered the worst instance of air pollution in Britain's history.

At the time there seemed no reason to panic as residents were accustomed to bouts of bad weather and heavy fog. However information gathered by medical services after the mist had lifted suggest as many as 4,000 people died after contracting respiratory infections.

The majority were either elderly or very young, and had already suffered breathing problems.

The deaths brought on by the smog prompted the Clean Air Act of 1956 which prohibited the use of coal for domestic fires.

Other photographs in the historic collection depict summertime smogs which are common in major cities where the sun's heat causes ozone to build up and take form in a visible fog.

These clammy clouds of hot air are equally hazardous as they accumulate industrial and air traffic pollution which descends upon city dwellers, increasing health issues among people with existing illnesses.

A bargee sits on the stern of his barge waiting for the London fog to lift before he can start work. Summer and winter smogs of the 1900s caused huge disruption to the shipping industry which relied on good visibility

White Christmas: Two policemen admire London's 64ft Christmas tree, a gift from Norway, illuminated in Trafalgar Square on December 1, 1948

Summer time smog: St Pancras Railway Station on Euston Road, is hidden under a thick cloud of smog which fell upon London in the summer of 1907

October 1935: A lamp lighter gets to work in Finsbury Park, London, as the winter nights draw in. It won't be long before our electric street lights brighten up dreary, winter skies after a summer of bright nights

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