Sunlight Wharf, River Thames, London 1969

A colour photo of Sunlight Wharf on the River Thames in 1969, featuring the impressive dome of St Paul’s Cathedral rising above the industrial skyline. The image shows the Alex Cowan & Sons building on the left and the red-trimmed Sunlight Wharf building, occupied by LEP Transport Ltd (Lanstaff, Ehremberg and Pollak), on the right. Several large, dark-hulled river barges with red interiors are moored at the water’s edge in front of the weathered brick warehouses. The scene captures the final years of the City of London’s working waterfront, characterized by timber wharves, industrial cranes, and the gritty texture of 20th-century river commerce.

Today, this section of the Thames waterfront has been completely transformed. Sunlight Wharf was demolished in the 1970s and replaced by the City of London School, located adjacent to where the Millennium Bridge now stands. While St Paul’s Cathedral remains the dominant landmark, the industrial warehouses and heavy commercial barges have been replaced by the Thames Path and modern educational and cultural facilities, offering a pedestrian-friendly environment that contrasts sharply with the industrial activity seen during the latter half of the 20th century.