London's Bridges on Film

A rare glimpse of 1930s London in colour: the Thames has never looked lovelier.

Swans, boats and bridges are celebrated by lyrical commentary and fine images in this delightful tour of the Thames from “trivial” beginnings to torrential end.

Don your straw boater and join Victorians at play as you potter down the river at Henley-on-Thames

A mermaid, a fat man in a barrel and water-bound jockeys all appear in this brilliant short showing Londoners taking part in the Molesey Regatta.

A ceremonial swan census takes place on the river Thames.

A nostalgic pre-war voyage down the mighty Thames, shot by Technicolor maestro Jack Cardiff.

Join Jim Greenyer on a cabin cruiser trip along the Hampton Court section of the River Thames - past islands, bridges, weirs and locks as well as a capsized canoeist

Welcome to Venice-on-Thames: some resourceful Berkshire locals defy the floods and take to the gondolier, while others 'walk the plank'.

Hauntingly beautiful images of flooded rural Surrey

Putney plays host to rowing races between soldiers who lost their sight during the war and blind students from Worcester College.

Gangway! A posse of 350 anglers charge through Richmond in a race to take up the best position before a fishing competition.

Tea, giggles, boats and balloons in this wonderful footage from the Hampton Court and Dittons Regetta on the banks of the Thames.

The Grosvenor Railway Bridge gets a 1960s upgrade while trains continue to thunder over it - an impressive engineering feat

Braving a mucky looking Thames, London’s finest women swimmers line up for a long-distance race between Kew and Putney.

Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.

A newsreel record of the opening of the second Lambeth Bridge by King George V in July 1932.

Karel Reisz’s honest depiction of South London teens aimed to challenge the media perception of ‘Teddy Boys’.

A colourful round up of the 1962 Lambeth Festival with fun for all, from a carnival parade to a beauty contest judged by radio’s Alan Freeman.

This fascinating 60s tour catches London's South Bank in the middle of a cultural metamorphosis.

Ladders, fire engines and ropes are inspected, before we get a long look at the Fire Brigade’s new Lambeth HQ from the river.

These atmospheric scenes of the Thames and central London (including some spoiled by fog) were shot for the Sherlock Holmes feature The Sign of Four.

Top-hatted pedestrians and horse-drawn traffic pass over Blackfriars Bridge in London

Magnificent monument to the arts or architectural monstrosity? The jury's out on Britain's new National Theatre

Skate City on the banks of the Thames

Follow the Thames from Westminster to Limehouse, Covent Garden to Tower Bridge.

London portrait becomes a love story

Do our eyes deceive us? Trick shots galore in this magical tour of London.

A simple yet multifaceted overview detailing the resurrection of one of London's most iconic architetural landmarks.

The original foodie city: from bustling Bermondsey Wharves through Smithfield and Billingsgate to London's street markets and general stores.

Traffic chaos and parking pandemonium in London is nothing new - as we see from this colourful 1950s research film shot around the capital.

Excellent if somewhat jerky aerial shots of London taken from a helicopter and featuring close-ups of Waterloo, the docks and Tower Bridge.

Rare early glimpses of the Edwardian Thames at its busiest.

Scenes of thronging street life and market trading along Tower Bridge Road, Bermondsey Street and Southwark Park Road.

During an unusually harsh winter, a frozen trawler arrives on the river Thames

Whistle stop tour of the Thames' iconic locations, followed by crowds, eels and strongmen in the East End.

The Thames was alive with vessels of all shapes and sizes, testimony to the success of London as a busy Port, handling cargo and passenger ferries from around the world.

An amazing film from 1949 that shows the colour returning to London's cheeks after six years of war - with Grenadier Guards, London Buses and the inevitable bombsites

Filmed by Rotherhithe, this film provides a glimpse into Victorian working life on the Thames.

The launch of H.M.S Albion, which was marred by the collapse of a gangway which resulted in many spectators drowning.

Discover the history of the Thames River Police with a rather different tour of London's iconic river.

This polished tour of Kingston takes in sites of local interest such as churches, technical college, and the well-known dept store Bentalls

Boys’ canoe trip on the Thames in London

A beautifully evocative three-mile glide along the Thames from bustling docks to bohemian Chelsea.

Startling colour photography of 1920s Britain imbues Claude Friese-Greene’s 1920s road trip around Britain.

From the pilots of the Pool of London to the headquarters of the Port of London Authority, let’s take a look.