London Street Scenes

[TuFun]

LONDON... double deck buses, taxi cabs, heavy traffic, and exhaust gases and deposits (horse sh*t at 1:27)could be a big problem. Check out the advertisements on the buses. (using modern lingo here)

[papab]

Really Amazing how far we have come in 100+ years
Thanks for posting
Rick

[Naismith]

It's amazing how much is still recognizable today. Oh but the horse traffic is so chaotic. I wonder what the folks of then would make of how we have handled their legacy. Thanks for the share.

[Ganter]

I was listening to a jolly good documentary on the wireless yesterday that came up with some staggering facts;

In 1900 the horse population was somewhere in the order of 100,000.
The life expectancy of a horse drawing an omnibus was approximately 4 years.
The Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894 found that if something radical was not done about horse manure then in another 50 years every street in London would be buried under 9 feet of manure!

Then along came the 'Horseless Carriage' and the World changed forever.
And then, of course, some bright chap strapped one of these new wonder engines to the front of a kite and we were all in business.

[IFlySWA]

Interesting post Ganter. The life expectancy of an omnibus horse was very sad. While 'The Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894' sounds like something straight out of Monty Python.

Brian

[SSI01]

It must have been tough on those poor horses. A good profit margin for the owner demanded the horse be on the job every single day, so many were worked very hard and one wonders at the amount and quality of rest and maintenance they received when their (very hard) working day was done.

Also, I read somewhere constantly walking on cobbles is very hard on a horse, and eventually leads to hoof problems and hairline fractures in their lower legs, which could also account for the high loss rate. If you've ever read or seen "Black Beauty," mention is made of this even in this childrens' book. Very sad in some parts.