When London held its breath as Queen gave birth to Prince Charles: Historic moment is brought to life in fascinating colourised pictures of the capital's best-loved landmarks through the decades By Stewart Carr For Mailonline Published: 15:27 BST, 21 October 2021 | Updated: 15:31 BST, 21 October 2021 Viewcomments Advertisement Incredible colourised pictures have been revealed featuring some of London’s most iconic landmarks from times past. One image, from 1948, showed crowds of people gathered in front of Buckingham Palace, awaiting news as the then-Princess Elizabeth gave birth to her first child. In another, from 1946, a goggled man drives a vintage Panhard-Levassor automobile through London near Big Ben. The amazing snaps have been newly released by the TopFoto archives and painstakingly colourised. In the twenty years following World War II, London was in a period of rebuilding, recovering from the physical impact of the Blitz and the emotional impact of the war. People started to return to London, with soldiers coming home from war and children rejoining their families after having been evacuated - but unfortunately there were 30,000 Londoners who did not survive the war. ‹ Slide me › Crowds gather in front of Buckingham Palace in November 1948, awaiting the news of Princes Charles' birth ‹ Slide me › A goggled man drives a vintage Panhard-Levassor automobile through London near Big Ben, 1946 ‹ Slide me › Grenadier guards march in a procession outside Buckingham Palace in 1950 ‹ Slide me › The image of Westminster Abbey as it appeared in the 1950s had been colourised ‹ Slide me › Beefeaters run through drills in front of Buckingham Palace as crowds of patriotic spectators look on ‹ Slide me › Men removing sandbags from Westminster Abbey as work begins on rebuilding the city in 1945 ‹ Slide me › Choristers line up on their way to service in Westminster Abbey in 1947 ‹ Slide me › ‹ Slide me › A shot of trams crossing Westminster Bridge with Big Ben in the background, 1938 ‹ Slide me › A group of schoolchildren admiring a dodo at the Museum of Natural History, 1949 ‹ Slide me › A boy plays on the snow-covered cannons by the River Thames in 1962 ‹ Slide me › A group of men setting off for the annual Stock Exchange Walk from London to Brighton in 1950 ‹ Slide me › Famous steeplejack, Mr Larkins, cleans the face of Big Ben in 1924 Those who did took renewed interest in their city, exploring landmarks and enjoying the freedom of peace. Other pictures in the set show landmarks from across the city, including men removing sandbags from Westminster Abbey in 1945, a group of men setting off for the annual Stock Exchange Walk from London to Brighton, and a group of beefeaters practising drills outside Buckingham Palace. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility