A bird’s-eye view of London taken from the north

A very detailed 'balloon-view' of London, taken from a point above King's Cross and looking across the city to Greenwich top left and Battersea Railway Bridge top right, and Crystal Palace in the far distance. The plate was originally published the day the Great Exhibition opened in Hyde Park in 1851, but has been constantly updated over the course of several editions, including the addition of a balloon in the sky. Among the most recent changes are the addition of: St Pancras Station (1868); the Victoria Embankment (1870); the Royal Albert Hall and Albert Memorial (1872); Albert Bridge (1873); and Northumberland Avenue (1874-6). Losses include the London Colosseum in Regent's Park (demolished 1875). Also of interest is former music hall in the old Royal Surrey Gardens, the the temporary home of St Thomas' Hospital (1862-71), used during the construction of new buildings on the present site in Lambeth