Curious photos from Britain's past (15 photos)

We present a selection of unique and intriguing photographs from the UK, capturing everyday life, events, and atmosphere in the first half and mid-20th century. All photographs have been colorized. Enjoy!

1. A group of men ride along the railway tracks on a sail-powered trolley at Spurn Head, England, 1922.

An unusual and rare technical solution that harnessed wind power to propel goods along rails. Such designs were sometimes used in the 19th and early 20th centuries at industrial sidings, construction sites, and in mining, where draft power was unavailable and wind provided a reliable and free source of energy.





2. Entertaining a crowd of children in Hexham, Northumberland, 1950.



3. All British Concordes. Heathrow Airport, 1986.





4. The real Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin, 1927.

This famous 1927 photograph depicts Christopher Robin Milne, the five-year-old son of author A.A. Milne, and his beloved teddy bear, Winnie-the-Pooh. The toy was purchased at Harrods in 1921 and was originally simply called "Bear," but the boy himself named it: "Winnie" after a bear named Winnie (short for Winnipeg), whom he saw at the London Zoo, and "Pooh" after a swan who lived with friends of the Milne family. These two names merged into one – Winnie-the-Pooh, and Christopher Robin's childhood games with his toys inspired his father to create the book, which became a classic of children's literature.



5. Backyard. Chelsea, England, 1952.



6. London, 1971.



7. Richard Lee and Raymond Sutton watch a miniature tram move along the tracks at the 5th Model Railway Exhibition in Central Hall, Westminster, London, 1959.



8. Mark Twain in the House of Commons with Sir John Benjamin Stone, 1907.

In June 1907, Samuel Langhorne Clemens—the famous American writer, humorist, journalist, and public figure, better known by his pen name Mark Twain—visited the British Parliament.



9. French actress Yvonne Monlaur (1939–2017) poses in a bikini during the filming of "The Inn of Trouble" at Walton Studios in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 1959.



10. Children evacuated from London on a Sussex farm are enchanted by the first lambs of the year on New Year's Day. January 1, 1940.

In the lead-up to the war, the British government launched a massive civilian rescue operation, Operation Pied Piper. Its goal was to urgently evacuate hundreds of thousands of children from major cities, primarily London, to safer rural areas to protect them from the expected Nazi bombing raids.



11. In Tyneside. England, 1950.



12. British television presenter Anthea Redfern, 1971.



13. 1908 London Olympics.

The 1908 London Olympics – the fourth modern Summer Olympics – were a turning point in the history of the Olympic movement, establishing many traditions that we consider integral to the Games to this day. The Games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome, but due to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906, Italy withdrew from hosting. In a short time (less than two years), Great Britain assumed responsibility and hosted one of the largest and most organized Games of its time. The event was attended by 2,008 athletes, 1,971 of whom were men and 37 women.



14. Barbary apes of Gibraltar, 1942.

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. Despite its geographical location (it borders exclusively with Spain), Gibraltar has been under British sovereignty since 1713, pursuant to the Treaty of Utrecht. Legend has it that as long as a colony of Barbary macaques exists on Gibraltar, the territory will remain under British rule. After the population dwindled to just a few individuals, Winston Churchill ordered their numbers to be immediately replenished with Barbary macaques from Morocco and Algeria.



15. Concorde flies over Nelson's Monument in London, 1969.