I was walking aimlessly down St. James street in London recently and discovered a plaque noting that the Texas Legation had been based in the building on the corner of Pickering Place in the 1840s (They were trying to establish themselves as an independent republic, so why not send diplomats to the capitals of the world’s great powers?). This is one of the many things I love about London: The past is utterly alive everywhere you turn, sometimes in ways you appreciate and sometimes in ways you don’t.

The Museum of London instantiates this reality with clever blends of old and new photos of the same locations. The one below is of Cheapside. There’s 15 more to enjoy as a slide show on the website of the Telegraph.