Take a trip anywhere on the Underground and you will pass through 2000 years of history. To prove this point London Underground's Platform for Art programme has joined forces with the Museum of London to bring local history to Tube travellers.
London: Yesterday and today, features specially designed local history posters
at Leicester Square, St Paul's and Westminster Underground stations. Posters
on the new themes have just been installed.
The Leicester Square display looks at the development of Chinatown from the
early days of the 20th century. It features the forerunner of the now familiar
Chinese restaurants - a 1920's Chinese eating house with the crockery and
cutlery needed to enjoy what then must have seemed a very exotic meal indeed.
At St Paul's the display focuses on the traders of Cheapside over the past
century. It also highlights the growth of modern shopping in the area to meet
the needs of today's prosperous City workers. One of the illustrations features
a "CB Cyclist Corset", a far cry from today's lycra shorts.
Westminster's display looks back at the celebration of the Queen's
Coronation in 1953. Pictures of a Coronation mug and a souvenir model
of the State Coach are displayed alongside contemporary photographs by Henry
Grant of a children's Coronation party and spectators viewing the Coronation
procession. This display offers a nostalgic glimpse of history that is in
the living memory of many travellers.
London: Yesterday and Today will offer a constantly changing view of London's
history throughout the year. New displays are planned for the autumn and the
programme could expand to reveal the past of more stations.
