A film uploaded on the video-sharing site Vimeo shows London in 1927 in colour.
The film shows the other side to London - complete with quiet streets, police guiding traffic and tradesman standing on the back of carts as they trundle along the roads.
It was shot by an early British pioneer of film named Claude Frisse-Greene.
He made a series of travelogues using the colour process his father William - a noted cinematographer - was experimenting with.
User Tim Sparke, who uploaded the video onVimeo, said: 'It's like a beautifully dusty old postcard you'd find in a junk store, but moving.'
In the days before huge skyscrapers, London's skyline was dominated by the Tower and the Houses of Parliament.
The footage shows London's roads mercifully free of the heavily congested traffic which chokes them today.
Cranes, unloading and loading cargo at London's docks, can be seen, as can a crowd of pedestrians walking down the city's famous Petticoat Lane. Nelson's Column can be seen looming over Trafalgar Square, whilst crowds gather at the Cenotaph to honour Britain's war dead.
Meanwhile, England are playing Australia in cricket at the Oval, with England victorious.
Hyde Park is called a 'happy hunting ground for Cupid and other bright young things' while Marble Arch looks undisturbed as few people mill around and one rides a bicycle.
A little girl clad in a pale-lemon outfit feeds sparrows in a peaceful shot of Kensington Gardens while a shy toddler poses with a Peter Pan statue.
Take a tour round 1920s London: Incredible colour footage of the capital when open topped buses ruled the roads and the Tower of London dominated the skyline
By Anna Edwards
Daily Mail
In 1952 London was shrouded in the Great Smog and nowadays most people know it as a frenetic and bustling city.
But a beautiful film has captured a more genteel side to the capital - and painted it in soft colours making it look practically quaint.
A film, shot in 1927, shows the other side to London - complete with quiet streets, police guiding traffic and tradesman standing on the back of carts as they trundle along the roads.
This incredible colour footage of 1920s London was shot by an early British pioneer of film named Claude Frisse-Greene, who captured Tower Bridge
The motor-buses and quiet streets are a far cry from the heavily congested roads that choke the capital today
The cameraman made a series of travelogues using the colour process his father - a noted cinematographer - was experimenting with
The Houses of Parliament are the last thing the camera gazes upon in this nostalgic film
It was shot by an early British pioneer of film named Claude Frisse-Greene.
He made a series of travelogues using the colour process his father William - a noted cinematographer - was experimenting with.
User Tim Sparke, who uploaded the video on Vimeo, said: 'It's like a beautifully dusty old postcard you'd find in a junk store, but moving.'
The video slowly travels over London Bridge, showing motor buses, and panning over to Tower Bridge, where dozens of boats can be seen moored on the Thames or lazily drifting down the River.
Cranes can be seen peeking from the side of buildings, while the soft blue sky is unblemished from clouds of pollution.
User Tim Sparke, who uploaded the video on Vimeo, said: 'It's like a beautifully dusty old postcard you'd find in a junk store, but moving.'
Smartly dressed pedestrians and tradesmen on carts cross one of London's many bridges
The power of the police: The beautiful film captures how officers ruled the roads
Petticoat Lane is heaving with customers who squeeze past each other down the narrow East London street
Police can be seen calmly standing in the middle of roads and halting queues of traffic, who patiently wait as smartly-dressed pedestrians stroll past them.
No honking of horns or shouts to hurry can be heard, as the gentle music of artists Yann Tiersen and Jonquil can be heard playing over the scenes.
Passengers peer over the side of the top deck of open-topped buses, which travel through the city streets until they reach Whitehall.
Members of the public can be seen paying tribute to the dead at the Cenotaph in the film, which has a British Film Institute logo on it.
Shots of information flash up as the film cuts to different locations, with one noting that London's 4,000 motorbuses make a 'formidable item in London traffic'.
Nelson's Column can be seen towering over Trafalgar Square - while barely any traffic trundles past
Captured on camera: Citizens can be seen gathering around the Cenotaph to honour the dead
A quintessential English experience: No film about London would be complete without a scene fo the Oval ground
The last scene focuses on two regular features of the London landscape - a policeman and the Houses of Parliament
It also shows a glimpse of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, and the National Gallery peeking from behind it.
Hyde Park is called a 'happy hunting ground for Cupid and other bright young things' while Marble Arch looks undisturbed as few people mill around and one rides a bicycle.
A little girl clad in a pale-lemon outfit feeds sparrows in a peaceful shot of Kensington Gardens while a shy toddler poses with a Peter Pan statue.
But it is not all tranquil parks and quiet lanes - the hustle and bustle of East London's Petticoat Lane - is captured, showing men, who all sport hats - tightly packed as they walk through the narrow road.
A shot of Oval, recording a glorious win by England over Australia, captures the excitement of the crowd over an exciting cricket match.
The final shot shows a policeman strolling along Albert Embankment, before gazing on the Houses of Parliament.
It was not until 1967 that the BBC brought colour to television screens, so this film - which appears to be the property of the BFI - was a pioneering achievement.
1927
The first transatlantic telephone call is made via radio from New York City to London
Great Britain sends troops to China to protect foreign nationals from spreading anti-foreign riots in Central China
A Richter Scale 7.6 magnitude earthquake kills at least 2,925 at Toyooka and Mineyama area, in western Honshu, Japan
The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 renames the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The change acknowledges that the Irish Free State (which became the Republic of Ireland in 1949) is no longer part of the Kingdom which it seceded from in 1922
Kevin O'Higgins, the Vice-President of the Irish Free State, is assassinated in Dublin
A total eclipse of the sun takes place over Wales, northern England, southern Scotland, Norway, northern Sweden, northmost Finland, and the northmost extremes of Russia
Iraq gains independence from Britain
Saudi Arabia gains independence from Britain
In Britain, 1,000 people a week die from an influenza epidemic
The U.S. submarine S-4 is accidentally rammed and sunk by the United States Coast Guard cutter John Paulding off Provincetown, Massachusetts, killing everyone aboard despite several unsuccessful attempts to raise the submarine
Albania mobilizes in case of an attack by Yugoslavia
Teddy Wakelam gives the first ever sports commentary on BBC Radio,a Rugby Union International match between England and Wales, which England won 11-9 at Twickenham. By today's standard it sounded really odd: to give listeners an idea what it actually was they were hearing a picture was published in the Radio Times of the pitch divided in numbered squares. And as Wakelam described the run of play a voice in the background mentioned the square the play was happening in. It is believed the phrase "Back to Square One" comes from this, long abandoned, practice
Read more: Open-topped buses, flat claps and bobbies on the beat: Colour video of 1920s London captures the capital in all its pre-war glory | Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
The film shows the other side to London - complete with quiet streets, police guiding traffic and tradesman standing on the back of carts as they trundle along the roads.
It was shot by an early British pioneer of film named Claude Frisse-Greene.
He made a series of travelogues using the colour process his father William - a noted cinematographer - was experimenting with.
User Tim Sparke, who uploaded the video onVimeo, said: 'It's like a beautifully dusty old postcard you'd find in a junk store, but moving.'
In the days before huge skyscrapers, London's skyline was dominated by the Tower and the Houses of Parliament.
The footage shows London's roads mercifully free of the heavily congested traffic which chokes them today.
Cranes, unloading and loading cargo at London's docks, can be seen, as can a crowd of pedestrians walking down the city's famous Petticoat Lane. Nelson's Column can be seen looming over Trafalgar Square, whilst crowds gather at the Cenotaph to honour Britain's war dead.
Meanwhile, England are playing Australia in cricket at the Oval, with England victorious.
Hyde Park is called a 'happy hunting ground for Cupid and other bright young things' while Marble Arch looks undisturbed as few people mill around and one rides a bicycle.
A little girl clad in a pale-lemon outfit feeds sparrows in a peaceful shot of Kensington Gardens while a shy toddler poses with a Peter Pan statue.
Take a tour round 1920s London: Incredible colour footage of the capital when open topped buses ruled the roads and the Tower of London dominated the skyline
By Anna Edwards
Daily Mail
In 1952 London was shrouded in the Great Smog and nowadays most people know it as a frenetic and bustling city.
But a beautiful film has captured a more genteel side to the capital - and painted it in soft colours making it look practically quaint.
A film, shot in 1927, shows the other side to London - complete with quiet streets, police guiding traffic and tradesman standing on the back of carts as they trundle along the roads.
This incredible colour footage of 1920s London was shot by an early British pioneer of film named Claude Frisse-Greene, who captured Tower Bridge
The motor-buses and quiet streets are a far cry from the heavily congested roads that choke the capital today
The cameraman made a series of travelogues using the colour process his father - a noted cinematographer - was experimenting with
The Houses of Parliament are the last thing the camera gazes upon in this nostalgic film
It was shot by an early British pioneer of film named Claude Frisse-Greene.
He made a series of travelogues using the colour process his father William - a noted cinematographer - was experimenting with.
User Tim Sparke, who uploaded the video on Vimeo, said: 'It's like a beautifully dusty old postcard you'd find in a junk store, but moving.'
The video slowly travels over London Bridge, showing motor buses, and panning over to Tower Bridge, where dozens of boats can be seen moored on the Thames or lazily drifting down the River.
Cranes can be seen peeking from the side of buildings, while the soft blue sky is unblemished from clouds of pollution.
User Tim Sparke, who uploaded the video on Vimeo, said: 'It's like a beautifully dusty old postcard you'd find in a junk store, but moving.'
Smartly dressed pedestrians and tradesmen on carts cross one of London's many bridges
The power of the police: The beautiful film captures how officers ruled the roads
Petticoat Lane is heaving with customers who squeeze past each other down the narrow East London street
Police can be seen calmly standing in the middle of roads and halting queues of traffic, who patiently wait as smartly-dressed pedestrians stroll past them.
No honking of horns or shouts to hurry can be heard, as the gentle music of artists Yann Tiersen and Jonquil can be heard playing over the scenes.
Passengers peer over the side of the top deck of open-topped buses, which travel through the city streets until they reach Whitehall.
Members of the public can be seen paying tribute to the dead at the Cenotaph in the film, which has a British Film Institute logo on it.
Shots of information flash up as the film cuts to different locations, with one noting that London's 4,000 motorbuses make a 'formidable item in London traffic'.
Nelson's Column can be seen towering over Trafalgar Square - while barely any traffic trundles past
Captured on camera: Citizens can be seen gathering around the Cenotaph to honour the dead
A quintessential English experience: No film about London would be complete without a scene fo the Oval ground
The last scene focuses on two regular features of the London landscape - a policeman and the Houses of Parliament
It also shows a glimpse of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, and the National Gallery peeking from behind it.
Hyde Park is called a 'happy hunting ground for Cupid and other bright young things' while Marble Arch looks undisturbed as few people mill around and one rides a bicycle.
A little girl clad in a pale-lemon outfit feeds sparrows in a peaceful shot of Kensington Gardens while a shy toddler poses with a Peter Pan statue.
But it is not all tranquil parks and quiet lanes - the hustle and bustle of East London's Petticoat Lane - is captured, showing men, who all sport hats - tightly packed as they walk through the narrow road.
A shot of Oval, recording a glorious win by England over Australia, captures the excitement of the crowd over an exciting cricket match.
The final shot shows a policeman strolling along Albert Embankment, before gazing on the Houses of Parliament.
It was not until 1967 that the BBC brought colour to television screens, so this film - which appears to be the property of the BFI - was a pioneering achievement.
1927
The first transatlantic telephone call is made via radio from New York City to London
Great Britain sends troops to China to protect foreign nationals from spreading anti-foreign riots in Central China
A Richter Scale 7.6 magnitude earthquake kills at least 2,925 at Toyooka and Mineyama area, in western Honshu, Japan
The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 renames the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The change acknowledges that the Irish Free State (which became the Republic of Ireland in 1949) is no longer part of the Kingdom which it seceded from in 1922
Kevin O'Higgins, the Vice-President of the Irish Free State, is assassinated in Dublin
A total eclipse of the sun takes place over Wales, northern England, southern Scotland, Norway, northern Sweden, northmost Finland, and the northmost extremes of Russia
Iraq gains independence from Britain
Saudi Arabia gains independence from Britain
In Britain, 1,000 people a week die from an influenza epidemic
The U.S. submarine S-4 is accidentally rammed and sunk by the United States Coast Guard cutter John Paulding off Provincetown, Massachusetts, killing everyone aboard despite several unsuccessful attempts to raise the submarine
Albania mobilizes in case of an attack by Yugoslavia
Teddy Wakelam gives the first ever sports commentary on BBC Radio,a Rugby Union International match between England and Wales, which England won 11-9 at Twickenham. By today's standard it sounded really odd: to give listeners an idea what it actually was they were hearing a picture was published in the Radio Times of the pitch divided in numbered squares. And as Wakelam described the run of play a voice in the background mentioned the square the play was happening in. It is believed the phrase "Back to Square One" comes from this, long abandoned, practice
Read more: Open-topped buses, flat claps and bobbies on the beat: Colour video of 1920s London captures the capital in all its pre-war glory | Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
