This film was made for the Festival of Britain in 1951 and explores the many different customs and landmarks within the City of London in a single day.

The film opens with the River Thames in the early morning as light is cast over the City. It depicts Billingsgate Market with traders preparing to open and then commuters pouring in from Bank station to work in the City’s many financial institutions. The film then moves to the Port of London where cargo is unloaded to the Thames side warehouses where wine and tea tasting is depicted.

At lunchtime the film shows a change of pace where people are eating and sitting with an organ recital played over the footage. Also depicted is a meeting of the Common Council at Guildhall presided over by Lord Mayor, Sir Denys Lowson.

In the afternoon the City’s Guilds and Companies of craftsmen are also portrayed showcasing the seal of the City of London as a high standard of craftmanship.

The film closes with St. Paul’s Cathedral and commuters leaving the City.

Date: 1951
Reference No: COL/AC/31/003/A
Collection: COL

This film is part of the collections at London Metropolitan Archives, a public research centre which specialises in the history of London. If you haven't visited an archive before, it's a little bit like a library but with one key difference; the majority of items in an archive are unique, handwritten documents which cannot be seen anywhere else.

We care for and provide access to the historical archives of businesses, schools, hospitals, charities and all manner of other organisations from the London area. With 100 km of books, maps, photographs, films and documents dating back to 1067 in our strong rooms, we're proud to provide access to one of the finest city archives in the world you could call it the memory of London.

This channel provides highlights from our film and video collections and films which we have created. Find out more at www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/lma and explore our film clips, photographs, maps and prints of London at www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk