These photos show that London is well and truly deserted

It’s normal for big cities – and especially their centres – to vacate around the holidays as people stop work and travel to see their families, but this year London emptied much sooner than usual due to Covid fears that also caused offices, and hospitality and cultural venues to close early, leaving London’s streets to the ghosts of Christmas past. 

It’s people that make a city, especially one as vibrant and eclectic as London, so our capital takes on a different character when there are fewer of us in it. Now is the time to experience London in a different way.

How often have you walked around central London wishing you could get the perfect photo if only there weren’t so many people in the way? Now is the time. Cross a bridge, take a picture of a deserted Trafalgar Square, visit Hyde Park’s squirrels, look up and admire the architecture, look down at the cracks in the pavement, notice things you usually can’t because you’re trying to dodge the peak-time masses. See London in a way you have never seen before and possibly will never see again. 

Here are some images of London’s deserted streets: