Curations

20th Century Spotlight: Images of London at the Guildhall Art Gallery, London

David Saywell, Head of Digital Assets

Guildhall Art Gallery

Guildhall Art Gallery is home to the City of London Corporation’s works of art. The wide-ranging collection of 4,500 works includes an excellent selection of representations of London and Londoners at work throughout the 20th Century. The first purpose-built gallery for displaying the collection was completed in 1885, but it was destroyed in The Blitz in 1941, resulting in the loss of many artworks. The City of London Corporation redeveloped the site, adjacent to the Guildhall, and the new Gallery was opened in 1999.

Artists featured in this Curation: Enid Abrahams (1906–1972), Adrian Berg (1929–2011), Oliver Bevan (b.1941), Derek Boshier (1937–2024), Frank Brangwyn (1867–1956), Trevor Chamberlain (b.1933), Clifford Charman (1910–1993), Alfred Egerton Cooper (1883–1974), Heather Copley (1918–2001), Hugh Verschoyle Cronyn (1905–1996), and 56 more
66 artworks
Storyline Album Showcase

  • Enid Abrahams (1906–1972)

    St Paul's from Warwick Lane, London 1960s
    Enid Abrahams (1906–1972)
    Oil on canvas
    H 102 x W 57 cm
    City of London Corporation
    St Paul's from Warwick Lane, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Adrian Berg (1929–2011)

    Gloucester Lodge, Regent's Park, London, May 1979 1979
    Adrian Berg (1929–2011)
    Oil on canvas
    H 66 x W 86 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Gloucester Lodge, Regent's Park, London, May 1979
    © estate of Adrian Berg. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Oliver Bevan (b.1941)

    Walk 1995
    Oliver Bevan (b.1941)
    Oil on canvas
    H 229 x W 213 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Walk
    © the artist. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Derek Boshier (b.1937)

    Possibilities of Nature 1995
    Derek Boshier (1937–2024)
    Oil on canvas
    H 182 x W 300 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Possibilities of Nature
    © Derek Boshier. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Frank Brangwyn (1867–1956)

    Tower Bridge, London c.1905
    Frank Brangwyn (1867–1956)
    Oil on canvas
    H 64 x W 77 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Tower Bridge, London
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Trevor Chamberlain (b.1933)

    Swilling Down, Billingsgate, London c.1971
    Trevor Chamberlain (b.1933)
    Oil on canvas
    H 75 x W 50 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Swilling Down, Billingsgate, London
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Clifford Charman (1910–1993)

    Street of Shadows, Greenwich, London c.1977
    Clifford Charman (1910–1993)
    Oil on canvas
    H 60 x W 90 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Street of Shadows, Greenwich, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Alfred Egerton Cooper (1883–1974)

    The Pool of London 1913
    Alfred Egerton Cooper (1883–1974)
    Oil on canvas
    H 71 x W 91 cm
    City of London Corporation
    The Pool of London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Heather Copley (1918–2001)

    View of St Bride Church from Ludgate Hill, London 1962
    Heather Copley (1918–2001)
    Oil on hardboard
    H 102 x W 76 cm
    City of London Corporation
    View of St Bride Church from Ludgate Hill, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Hugh Verschoyle Cronyn (1905–1996)

    Head of the River for Schools
    Hugh Verschoyle Cronyn (1905–1996)
    Oil on canvas
    H 74 x W 99 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Head of the River for Schools
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Charles Ernest Cundall (1890–1971)

    The Lord Mayor's Procession Arriving at the Law Courts, London, 1926
    Charles Ernest Cundall (1890–1971)
    Oil on canvas
    H 80 x W 99 cm
    City of London Corporation
    The Lord Mayor's Procession Arriving at the Law Courts, London, 1926
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996)

    Luncheon in the Guildhall, London, to Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, 10 March 1961 1961
    Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996)
    Oil on canvas
    H 198 x W 258 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Luncheon in the Guildhall, London, to Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, 10 March 1961
    © reproduced with kind permission of the Cuneo estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Jehan Daly (1918–2001)

    St James', Garlickhythe, Upper Thames, London
    Jehan Daly (1918–2001)
    Oil on canvas
    H 31 x W 51 cm
    City of London Corporation
    St James', Garlickhythe, Upper Thames, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Uzo Egonu (1931–1996)

    Tower Bridge 1969
    Uzo Egonu (1931–1996)
    Oil on canvas
    H 81 x W 112 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Tower Bridge
    © Uzo Egonu estate. Image credit: Matthew Hollow Photography. Courtesy of Guildhall Art Gallery

  • Anthony John Plowden Eyton (b.1923)

    Spitalfields Window 1975–1976
    Anthony John Plowden Eyton (b.1923)
    Oil on canvas
    H 142 x W 169 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Spitalfields Window
    © the artist / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Patrick Joseph Farrell (active 1965)

    Southwark Bridge, London
    Patrick Joseph Farrell (active 1965)
    Oil on canvas
    H 76 x W 102 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Southwark Bridge, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Geoffrey Scowcroft Fletcher (1923–2004)

    Mornington Crescent Station, London 1997
    Geoffrey Scowcroft Fletcher (1923–2004)
    Oil on canvas
    H 56 x W 71 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Mornington Crescent Station, London
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Marcus Ford (1914–1988)

    Westminster from the Embankment, London 1966
    Marcus Ford (1914–1988)
    Oil on canvas
    H 61 x W 91 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Westminster from the Embankment, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • David Graham (b.1926)

    The River Thames at Gravesend, Kent
    David Graham (b.1926)
    Oil on canvas
    H 76 x W 86 cm
    City of London Corporation
    The River Thames at Gravesend, Kent
    © the artist. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Duncan Grant (1885–1978)

    Police Constable Harry Daley (1901–1971) 1930
    Duncan Grant (1885–1978)
    Oil on canvas
    H 76 x W 51 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Police Constable Harry Daley (1901–1971)
    © Estate of Duncan Grant. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Samuel Harry Hancock (1871–1932)

    The Lights of London, Cannon Street Station c.1924
    Samuel Harry Hancock (1871–1932)
    Oil on canvas
    H 25 x W 36 cm
    City of London Corporation
    The Lights of London, Cannon Street Station
    Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Charles Everest Hardaker (b.1934)

    St Katharine Docks, London 1969
    Charles Everest Hardaker (b.1934)
    Oil on canvas
    H 51 x W 76 cm
    City of London Corporation
    St Katharine Docks, London
    © the artist. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Suzanne C. Harris (b.1909)

    London Market, Camden Town
    Suzanne C. Harris (b.1909)
    Oil on canvas
    H 49 x W 59 cm
    City of London Corporation
    London Market, Camden Town
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • David Hepher (b.1935)

    Camberwell Flats by Night 1983
    David Hepher (b.1935)
    Oil on canvas
    H 199 x W 260 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Camberwell Flats by Night
    © the artist/courtesy Flowers Gallery, London and New York. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Ken Howard (1932–2022)

    Billingsgate Market, London 1962
    Ken Howard (1932–2022)
    Oil on canvas
    H 69 x W 91 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Billingsgate Market, London
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Bryan Ingham (1936–1997)

    Landscape at Peckham, London c.1960
    Bryan Ingham (1936–1997)
    Oil on hardboard
    H 61 x W 122 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Landscape at Peckham, London
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Ernest Borough Johnson (1866–1949)

    Ruins around St Paul's, London 1945
    Ernest Borough Johnson (1866–1949)
    Oil on canvas
    H 71 x W 86 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Ruins around St Paul's, London
    Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Deborah Jones (1921–2012)

    Number One Queen Victoria Street, London 1957
    Deborah Jones (1921–2012)
    Oil on canvas
    H 45 x W 61 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Number One Queen Victoria Street, London
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • James Alfred Kirby (1917–1999)

    Low Tide, Low Spirits 1966
    James Alfred Kirby (1917–1999)
    Oil on canvas
    H 41 x W 83 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Low Tide, Low Spirits
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Edgar John Kohler (1920–1996)

    Kensington Town Hall Demolished, London
    Edgar John Kohler (1920–1996)
    Oil on canvas
    H 76 x W 100 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Kensington Town Hall Demolished, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Robert C. D. Lowry (1924–2011)

    Low Tide, Deptford, London 1972
    Robert C. D. Lowry (1924–2011)
    Oil on board
    H 51 x W 56 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Low Tide, Deptford, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Anthony Lowe (b.1957)

    Blackfriars Bridge and St Paul's, London 1995
    Anthony Lowe (b.1957)
    Oil on canvas
    H 130 x W 140 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Blackfriars Bridge and St Paul's, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Niels Møller Lund (1863–1916)

    The Heart of the Empire 1904
    Niels Møller Lund (1863–1916)
    Oil on canvas
    H 137 x W 183 cm
    City of London Corporation
    The Heart of the Empire
    Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Richard MacDonald (1919–1993)

    Wapping, London 1940
    Richard MacDonald (1919–1993)
    Oil on hardboard
    H 61 x W 46 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Wapping, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Cyril Mann (1911–1980)

    Bombsites around Spitalfields, London
    Cyril Mann (1911–1980)
    Oil on canvas
    H 51 x W 76 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Bombsites around Spitalfields, London
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Charles James McCall (1907–1989)

    Blackfriars, London 1962
    Charles James McCall (1907–1989)
    Oil on canvas
    H 76 x W 64 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Blackfriars, London
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Paul Ayshford Methuen (1886–1974)

    St Paul's Cathedral, London 1939
    Paul Ayshford Methuen (1886–1974)
    Oil on canvas
    H 102 x W 86 cm
    City of London Corporation
    St Paul's Cathedral, London
    © trustees of the Corsham estate. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Brendan Neiland (b.1941)

    Broadgate Reflections 1989
    Brendan Neiland (b.1941)
    Acrylic on canvas
    H 88 x W 122 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Broadgate Reflections
    © Brendan Neiland / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Bertram Nicholls (1883–1974)

    St Paul's from Bankside, London
    Bertram Nicholls (1883–1974)
    Oil on canvas
    H 61 x W 91 cm
    City of London Corporation
    St Paul's from Bankside, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • James Robert Wallace Orr (1907–1992)

    Bombed Ruins near St Paul's, London
    James Robert Wallace Orr (1907–1992)
    Oil on canvas
    H 50 x W 75 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Bombed Ruins near St Paul's, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Charles Pears (1873–1958)

    The Pool of London during Dockland Air Raids, 1940
    Charles Pears (1873–1958)
    Oil on canvas
    H 101 x W 152 cm
    City of London Corporation
    The Pool of London during Dockland Air Raids, 1940
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Jack Pountney (1921–1997)

    Evening, Greenwich, London c.1973
    Jack Pountney (1921–1997)
    Oil on hardboard
    H 59 x W 79 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Evening, Greenwich, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • H. J. Reddell (active 1970–1973)

    County Hall, London, in Morning Haze
    H. J. Reddell (active 1970–1973)
    Oil on canvas
    H 40 x W 56 cm
    City of London Corporation
    County Hall, London, in Morning Haze
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Ian Ribbons (1924–2002)

    Billingsgate Market, London 1981
    Ian Ribbons (1924–2002)
    Oil on canvas
    H 48 x W 76 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Billingsgate Market, London
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • William Patrick Roberts (1895–1980)

    The Demolition Squad 1941
    William Patrick Roberts (1895–1980)
    Oil on canvas
    H 56 x W 81 cm
    City of London Corporation
    The Demolition Squad
    © estate of John David Roberts. By courtesy of The William Roberts Society. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Piero Sansalvadore (1892–1955)

    A Bomb Site near St Paul's, London 1946
    Piero Sansalvadore (1892–1955)
    Oil on panel
    H 34 x W 45 cm
    City of London Corporation
    A Bomb Site near St Paul's, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Nick Schlee (b.1931)

    Thames Barge
    Nick Schlee (b.1931)
    Oil on hardboard
    H 122.3 x W 152.3 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Thames Barge
    © the artist. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Arthur Segal (1875–1944)

    A Busy Street Scene
    Arthur Segal (1875–1944)
    Oil on panel
    H 32 x W 39 cm
    City of London Corporation
    A Busy Street Scene
    Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Peter Snow (1927–2008)

    St Mary's Gardens, Lambeth, Night and the Rain
    Peter Snow (1927–2008)
    Oil on hardboard
    H 106 x W 122 cm
    City of London Corporation
    St Mary's Gardens, Lambeth, Night and the Rain
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Alan Sorrell (1904–1974)

    Londinium Romanum 1959
    Alan Sorrell (1904–1974)
    Oil on canvas
    H 259 x W 366 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Londinium Romanum
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Effie Spring-Smith (1907–1974)

    A Fleet Street Warden 1945
    Effie Spring-Smith (1907–1974)
    Oil on canvas
    H 61 x W 51 cm
    City of London Corporation
    A Fleet Street Warden
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Jacqueline Stanley (b.1928)

    Smithfield Market, London 1969
    Jacqueline Stanley (b.1928)
    Oil on canvas
    H 102 x W 76 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Smithfield Market, London
    © the artist / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Käthe Strenitz (1923–2017)

    Seacole Lane, London
    Käthe Strenitz (1923–2017)
    Oil on hardboard
    H 61 x W 91.5 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Seacole Lane, London
    © Estate of Käthe Strenitz. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Josiah Sturgeon (1919–1999)

    Strand-on-the-Green, London 1973
    Josiah Sturgeon (1919–1999)
    Oil on board
    H 41 x W 51 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Strand-on-the-Green, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Aubrey Sykes (1910–1995)

    Low Water, Strand-on-the-Green, London 1975
    Aubrey Sykes (1910–1995)
    Oil on canvas
    H 49 x W 74 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Low Water, Strand-on-the-Green, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • David R. Thomas (1916–1990)

    A London Street Scene on the 34 Bus Route 1965
    David R. Thomas (1916–1990)
    Oil on canvas
    H 76 x W 102 cm
    City of London Corporation
    A London Street Scene on the 34 Bus Route
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Alfred Reginald Thomson (1894–1979)

    The First Meeting of the Greater London Council in the County Hall, 1964 1966
    Alfred Reginald Thomson (1894–1979)
    Oil on canvas
    H 180 x W 302 cm
    City of London Corporation
    The First Meeting of the Greater London Council in the County Hall, 1964
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • William Eric Thorp (1901–1993)

    Thames Barges 1962
    William Eric Thorp (1901–1993)
    Oil on panel
    H 36 x W 46 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Thames Barges
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Ottilie Tolansky (1912–1977)

    Chelsea Bridge, London
    Ottilie Tolansky (1912–1977)
    Oil on canvas
    H 81 x W 89 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Chelsea Bridge, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • William Townsend (1909–1973)

    St Mary Aldermanbury, London 1947
    William Townsend (1909–1973)
    Oil on canvas
    H 43 x W 41 cm
    City of London Corporation
    St Mary Aldermanbury, London
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • John Allen Videan (1903–1989)

    Inner Temple 1953
    John Allen Videan (1903–1989)
    Oil on canvas
    H 61 x W 51 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Inner Temple
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Frances Watt (1923–2009)

    Interior of Lloyd's 1963
    Frances Watt (1923–2009)
    Oil on board
    H 51 x W 61 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Interior of Lloyd's
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Carel Victor Morlais Weight (1908–1997)

    The Albert Memorial, London 1970
    Carel Victor Morlais Weight (1908–1997)
    Oil on canvas
    H 85 x W 122 cm
    City of London Corporation
    The Albert Memorial, London
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Norman Wilkinson (1878–1971)

    Towing Past the City c.1962
    Norman Wilkinson (1878–1971)
    Oil on canvas
    H 61 x W 81 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Towing Past the City
    © Norman Wilkinson Estate. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Harold Workman (1897–1975)

    Chaos on London Bridge
    Harold Workman (1897–1975)
    Oil on canvas
    H 102 x W 77 cm
    City of London Corporation
    Chaos on London Bridge
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

  • Herbert William Wright (1912–1989)

    St Katherine's Dock, London c.1979
    Herbert William Wright (1912–1989)
    Oil on canvas
    H 50 x W 60 cm
    City of London Corporation
    St Katherine's Dock, London
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: City of London Corporation

Explore artists in this Curation

View all 66
  • Thames Barges
    William Eric Thorp (1901–1993)
  • Low Water, Strand-on-the-Green, London
    Aubrey Sykes (1910–1995)
  • Landscape at Peckham, London
    Bryan Ingham (1936–1997)
  • A Corner of the Dockyard, Rosyth: Winter
    Charles Pears (1873–1958)
  • Ruins around St Paul's, London
    Ernest Borough Johnson (1866–1949)
  • Ulster
    Ken Howard (1932–2022)
  • The Blacksmiths
    Frank Brangwyn (1867–1956)
  • Heath Street, Hampstead
    Harold Workman (1897–1975)
  • Strand-on-the-Green, London
    Josiah Sturgeon (1919–1999)
  • Blackfriars Bridge and St Paul's, London
    Anthony Lowe (b.1957)
  • View all 66
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