Issues of toxic air in London are nothing new. The most well-known air pollution event, the Great Smog of London in 1952, is estimated to have resulted in thousands of deaths, as a thick layer covered the city for four days before dispersing as the weather changed.
While Londoners had already been suffering from poor air quality for hundreds of years, the 1952 event was seen as something of a wake-up call, with the Clean Air Act 1956 one of the resulting changes made in its wake.
More recently, the build-up to the planned extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has brought debates about the capital’s pollution levels back into the limelight. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, describes it as “necessary”, due to around 4,000 people in the capital dying prematurely every year from toxic air.
The mayor has however received some push-back from residents concerned about the £12.50 daily scheme, with a judicial review on the ULEZ expansion launched by five councils recently being granted approval to proceed to trial on two of its five grounds.
Following that decision, we’ve taken a look back at some photos of how London has coped with various smogs over the years.
1. Ludgate Cirucs, 1922.
A photo from November 1922, showing the smog at Ludgate Circus in central London.
2. Tower Bridge, 1952.
A tugboat on the Thames in heavy smog.
3. Piccadilly Circus, December 1952.
Heavy smog in Piccadilly Circus during the Great Smog of London.
4. A woman wearing a smog mask in London.
Smog masks became popular in London due to the life threatening levels of air pollution, resulting in severe smog or ‘pea soupers’.