27 brilliant black-and-white photographs of Elephant and Castle over the years

These stunning black-and-white photos provide a fascinating glimpse of Elephant and Castle in bygone decades - when trams regularly ran through the streets and the famous roundabout was still a six-road junction.

The images feature all manner of goings-on in the south London neighbourhood from the early 20th century up until the 1970s, from familiar sights of commuters and shoppers to the more unexpected sight of an elephant being paraded through crowds.

The postcode has long been a hive of activity, and this gallery of photographs highlights some of its most famous landmarks.

There’s the Trocadero music venue, which has played host to Cliff Richard and Cab Calloway, and the soon-to-be-demolished Elephant and Castle shopping centre.

One of the earliest photographs gives a look at a busy road junction in the early 1900s, which is pictured with trams, horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians filling the streets.

Sailors arriving at the theatre to see ‘Dick Whittington’, a traditional horse auction and Londoners sleeping in an air raid shelter on the platform of Elephant and Castle Underground station during WWII also feature.

Then there are quieter scenes of three young boys gazing at toys in a shop window on Walworth Road in 1962.

The pictures span a period of seven decades, taking us on a journey from 1900 to 1970.

Click on the image at the top of this page to browse the gallery.

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