Arthur St John Collection

Marylebone Town Hall, One of the Most Eminent of Londons New Buildings, c1935. The Town Hall on Marylebone Road in central London opened in 1920

Old pub on the River Thames, London, 1926-1927. An old tavern on the riverside at Limehouse. Illustration from Wonderful London, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, Volume I

View of London, 1926-1927. Artist: Captain Alfred G Buckham
View of London, 1926-1927. A biplane flies over the River Thames. Illustration from Wonderful London, volume I, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, published by Amalgamated Press (London, 1926-1927)

Barrels of molasses, West India Docks, London, 1926-1927. Artist: Langfier Photo
Barrels of molasses, West India Docks, London, 1926-1927. Illustration from Wonderful London, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, Volume I, published by Amalgamated Press, (London, 1926-1927)

Wet Winter Evening and a Book Lover in Bloomsbury, c1935. Creator: Fincham
Wet Winter Evening and a Book Lover in Bloomsbury, c1935. Shelves of books outside a shop in central London. From " Wonderful London, Volume 2", edited by Arthur St John Adcock

The Grenadier in Wilton Mews, Where Coachmen Drink No More, c1935. Creator: Unknown
" The Grenadier" in Wilton Mews, Where Coachmen Drink No More, c1935. Public house in Belgravia, London, built in 1720 as the officers mess for the senior infantry regiment of the British

The Mitre tavern, London, 1926-1927. Artist: Paterson
The Mitre tavern, London, 1926-1927. The Mitre lies between Ely Place and Hatton Garden. From Wonderful London, volume II, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, published by Amalgamated Press (London)

In Lansdowne Passage, Where A Highwayman Once Galloped For His Life, c1935. Creator: Taylor
In Lansdowne Passage, Where A Highwayman Once Galloped For His Life, c1935. Alley in Westminster, central London, with an iron bar set across it

The Elephant and Castle, London, 1926-1927. From Wonderful London, volume II, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, published by Amalgamated Press (London, 1926-1927)

A bookshop in Bloomsbury, London, 1926-1927. Artist: HW Fincham
A bookshop in Bloomsbury, London, 1926-1927. From Wonderful London, volume II, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, published by Amalgamated Press (London, 1926-1927)

Sand pit, Bishops Park, Fulham, London, 1926-1927. Children playing in a large sand pit at Bishops Park by the River Thames

Night Rain Has Turned The Pavements To A Pool of Reflections, c1935. Creator: Calkin
Night Rain Has Turned The Pavements To A Pool of Reflections, c1935. The fountains in Trafalgar Square, central London. On the left is the National Gallery

Londons River at Isleworth Ferry Looking Towards the Green Glades of Kew Gardens, c1935. Ferry across the River Thames in west London

Reading Room of the Great Library at the British Museum seen from the Entrance, c1935. The circular Reading Room of the British Museum in central London was designed by Sydney Smirke (1798-1877)

Chimney sweep, London, 1926-1927. Artist: McLeish
Chimney sweep, London, 1926-1927. From Wonderful London, volume II, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, published by Amalgamated Press (London, 1926-1927)

Ferry across the Thames to the London Apprentice inn, Isleworth, London, 1926-1927. Artist: McLeish
Ferry across the Thames to the London Apprentice inn, Isleworth, London, 1926-1927. Illustration from Wonderful London, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, Volume I, published by Amalgamated Press

The Bridge House in George Row, Bermondsey, c1935. Creator: Unknown
The Bridge House in George Row, Bermondsey, c1935. Large 18th-century detached house on Jacobs Island in Bermondsey, London. It was constructed over a creek flowing into the River Thames

Marble Balustrades of the Staircase in the Foreign Office, c1935. Creator: King
Marble Balustrades of the Staircase in the Foreign Office, c1935. The Italianate interior of the Foreign Office in King Charles Street, off Whitehall, in central London

Shipping in the Pool of London: A Vista from London Bridge to Tower Bridge, c1935. Barges on the River Thames. From " Wonderful London, Volume 1", edited by Arthur St John Adcock

A greengrocer of the Commercial Road, London, 1926-1927. Illustration from Wonderful London, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, Volume I, published by Amalgamated Press, (London, 1926-1927)

A customer inspects a haggis, London, 1926-1927. From Wonderful London, volume II, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, published by Amalgamated Press (London, 1926-1927)

Harley Street, London, 1926-1927. Artist: Whiffin
Harley Street, London, 1926-1927. From Wonderful London, volume II, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, published by Amalgamated Press (London, 1926-1927)

William Blakes house, 23 Hercules Road, London, 1912. Artist: Frederick Adcock
William Blakes house, 23 Hercules Road, London, 1912. English poet, painter, and printmaker William Blake (1770-1845) lived at 13 Hercules Buildings, Lambeth

Looking Towards The Pavilion From The Mound Stand At World-Famous Lord s, c1935. Spectators watching a match at Lords cricket ground in north London

The Lair of the Law as Few Londoners Ever See It: The Temple and the Courts of Justice, c1935. Aerial view of the Aldwych area in Westminster, London

Children feeding the swans on the Serpentine, London, 1926-1927. From Wonderful London, volume II, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, published by Amalgamated Press (London, 1926-1927)

Chaucers tomb, Westminster Abbey, London, 1912. Artist: Frederick Adcock
Chaucers tomb, Westminster Abbey, London, 1912. The tomb of Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400), author of The Canterbury Tales. Many famous writers and poets are buried in the Abbey

Putney Heath, London, 1926-1927. Artist: McLeish
Putney Heath, London, 1926-1927. Illustration from Wonderful London, volume I, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, published by Amalgamated Press (London, 1926-1927)

Thames waterman and his boat on the beach at Bankside, London, 1926-1927. Artist: McLeish
Thames waterman and his boat on the beach at Bankside, London, 1926-1927. St Pauls Cathedral is on the opposite bank. Illustration from Wonderful London, volume I, edited by Arthur St John Adcock

Football in the East End, London, 1926-1927. Illustration from Wonderful London, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, Volume I, published by Amalgamated Press, (London, 1926-1927)

Sir Joshua Reynolds house, Great Newport Street, London, 1912. Artist: Frederick Adcock
Sir Joshua Reynolds house, Great Newport Street, London, 1912. The home of English painter and portraitist Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792)

Outside the Peoples Palace in the Mile End Road, c1935. Creator: Donald McLeish
Outside the Peoples Palace in the Mile End Road, c1935. The Peoples Palace was the brainchild of philanthropist John Thomas Barber Beaumont (1774-1841)

School in Leicester Square on the Site of Hogarths House, c1935. Creator: Donald McLeish
School in Leicester Square on the Site of Hogarths House, c1935. Archbishop Tenison School in Leicester Square, Westminster, central London, which opened in 1895

Interior of Westminster Cathedral Viewed from the West End, c1935. Creator: Cyril Ellis
Interior of Westminster Cathedral Viewed from the West End, c1935. Designed by John Francis Bentley (1839-1902), work began on Westminster Cathedral in London in 1895 and it opened in 1903

In the Kitchener Memorial Chapel of St. Pauls Cathedral, c1935. Creator: Unknown
In the Kitchener Memorial Chapel of St. Pauls Cathedral, c1935. The All Souls Chapel at St Pauls in London was dedicated to the memory of British Field Marshal Lord Kitchener (1850-1916) in 1925

An East End Episode: Scots Guards on Action at Sydney Street in 1911, (c1935). Creator: Unknown
An East End Episode: Scots Guards on Action at Sydney Street in 1911, (c1935). The Siege of Sidney Street (also known as the Battle of Stepney) in the East End of London

Strand Lane and the Entrance to the Roman Bath, c1935. Creator: Unknown
Strand Lane and the Entrance to the Roman Bath, c1935. The Old Watch House, also known as St Clements Watch House, and Roman Bath in Strand Lane near the River Thames in Westminster, London

Houses of Parliament, c1935. Creator: Unknown
Houses of Parliament, c1935. The Royal Air Force Memorial at Whitehall Steps in London was erected in 1923 as a memorial to all ranks of the Royal Navy Air Service, Royal Flying Corps

Saturday at Berwick Street Market, Soho, London, 1926-1927. Illustration from Wonderful London, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, Volume I, published by Amalgamated Press, (London, 1926-1927)

The George, 17th century inn, Southwark, London, 1926-1927. Artist: McLeish
The George, 17th century inn, Southwark, London, 1926-1927. Londons only surviving galleried coaching inn was rebuilt in 1676 after a fire

The course of the Westbourne Aqueduct over Sloane Square Station, London, 1926-1927. The River Westbourne running above the platforms of Sloane Square tube station

Leigh Hunts house, Chelsea, London, 1912. Artist: Frederick Adcock
Leigh Hunts house, Chelsea, London, 1912. The home of English essayist, poet and writer James Henry Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)

Turners house, Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London, 1912. Artist: Frederick Adcock
Turners house, Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London, 1912. The home of Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker

Whistlers house, 96 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London, 1912. Artist: Frederick Adcock
Whistlers house, 96 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London, 1912. The home of American-born artist, James McNeill Whistlerb (1834-1903)

Modern Cutlers Hall in Warwick Lane Off Newgate Street, c1935. Creator: Unknown
Modern Cutlers Hall in Warwick Lane Off Newgate Street, c1935. Livery hall of the Worshipful Company of Cutlers in the City of London, designed by Thomas Tayler Smith and opened in 1888

Old Almshouses in the Kingsland Road Turned Into a Furniture Museum, c1935. Creator: Unknown
Old Almshouses in the Kingsland Road Turned Into a Furniture Museum, c1935. The Geffrye Museum of the Home on Kingsland Road in Shoreditch, north-east London

In Cheyne Walk Gardens Thomas Carlyle Eternally Ponders Philosophy, c1935. Creator
In Cheyne Walk Gardens Thomas Carlyle Eternally Ponders Philosophy, c1935. Statue by Joseph Edgar Boehm of Scottish essayist, satirist

An incident at The Yard in the small hours, c1935. Creator: Unknown
An incident at " The Yard" in the small hours, c1935. A policeman and a plain clothes officer in a peaked cap at Scotland Yard Metropolitan Police headquarters in Whitehall Place

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Arthur St John was a man of many interests and passions, as evidenced by the diverse range of photographs capturing his experiences in London. One such image transports us to the grandeur of Marylebone Town Hall, an eminent new building that stood tall in the city during the 1930s. Its architectural beauty is undeniable, a testament to London's ever-evolving skyline. In contrast, another snapshot takes us back in time to a cozy old pub nestled along the River Thames in 1926-1927. This charming establishment exudes history and warmth, inviting patrons to unwind and enjoy their favorite libations while gazing out at the flowing waters. Moving on from riverside revelries, we find Arthur immersed in literature on a wet winter evening amidst Bloomsbury's intellectual hub. His love for books shines through as he seeks solace within their pages, finding respite from the gloomy weather outside. The Grenadier in Wilton Mews captures yet another facet of Arthur's explorations; it was once frequented by coachmen who have long since disappeared from its hallowed halls. This photograph serves as a poignant reminder of changing times and traditions lost but not forgotten. Barrels filled with molasses at West India Docks offer glimpses into London's bustling trade scene during 1926-1927. The vibrant colors and industrial setting evoke images of hardworking dockworkers laboring tirelessly to keep this thriving metropolis moving forward. A breathtaking aerial view showcases Captain Alfred G Buckham's artistic prowess as he captures London spread out beneath him like an intricate tapestry woven with streets and buildings, and is through such perspectives that one truly appreciates the vastness and complexity of this great city. The Mitre tavern beckons us with its timeless charm captured by Paterson's lens - a slice of life frozen forever in 1926-1927. Here we see locals enjoying pints together, forging connections and creating memories that would endure long after the photograph was taken.