Upper Richmond Road

Upper Richmond Road, London (1897): Tobacco, Transport and the Rhythm of the Street

This wonderfully preserved photograph from 1897 offers a rare glimpse into everyday urban life on Upper Richmond Road in London’s City of London, at a time when the horse and carriage reigned supreme and shopfronts were bursting with bold signage and local trade.

On the left, Thompson’s shop tempts passers-by with cigars, tobacco, mineral waters, and confectionery, its windows cluttered with ginger beer bottles and posters for entertainments like the Wimbledon Dog Show and music hall stars. Next door, H.L. Marshall’s Liver Bait Stables (spelled “Livery & Bait Stables”) advertises Broughams and Victorias on hire, as well as landaus for private hire—a critical transport service before the motorcar revolution.

A small crowd of men in bowler hats and caps tend to a carriage in the foreground, while the cobbled street curves quietly away into a ghostly winter morning. It is a portrait of a neighbourhood that bustled with human contact, hand-painted commerce, and the practical beauty of working-class London.

📍 Upper Richmond Road, City of London, United Kingdom 🗓️ Year: 1897 🔍 Suggested tags: London history, Upper Richmond Road, Victorian shops, livery stables, horse-drawn carriages, 19th century street life, local businesses, historical signage

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