Fascinating Vintage Black and White Photos of Londoners in 1981

From the 1950s onwards London became home to a large number of immigrants, largely from Commonwealth countries, turning it into one of the most diverse cities in Europe. However, the integration of the new immigrants was not always easy. Racial tensions emerged in events such as the Brixton Riots in 1981, which resulted from racist discrimination against the black community by the mainly-white police. 

 

On May 7, Ken Livingstone becomes leader of the Greater London Council after Labour wins the GLC elections. Political disputes between the GLC run by Ken Livingstone and the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher in the early 1980s would later lead to the GLC's abolition in 1986. 

 

On Wednesday, 29 July 1981, the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer took place at St Paul's Cathedral in London, United Kingdom. Their marriage was widely billed as a “fairytale wedding” and the “wedding of the century”. It was watched by an estimated global television audience of 750 million people.

 

These pictures of London in 1981 were taken by Simon Nowicki, a street photographer who has practiced the art of photography for over 35 years. His works are influenced by the likes of Henry Cartier-Bresson, Paul Strand, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander and Rennie Ellis. More fascinating photographs of daily lives could be found at Nowicki's amazing Flickr site.