The London County Council (LCC) was the first London-wide local council. Established in 1889, it operated until 1965, employing 76,000 people. It had a wide range of responsibilities and powers which shaped the physical city and the lives of Londoners who lived in it.

This gallery aims to demonstrate the council’s functions using a selection from the LCC photograph library, held by London Metropolitan Archives.

The LCC changed the fabric of many parts of London through slum clearance programmes, leading to the development of housing estates and the provision of council housing, the first estate being the Boundary Estate in East London. These estates included pioneering architecture and building technology and some included entirely new districts – such as the Becontree estate which housed 100,000 people.

The LCC built 6 bridges over the Thames, tunnels at Blackwall, Rotherhithe and Woolwich, and major road developments such as the construction of Kingsway and the Hammersmith flyover. The council had responsibility for main drainage and sewerage, including 30 miles of storm relief sewers, a pumping station at Hammersmith and operated sludge vessels on the Thames.

The LCC proudly maintained London’s parks and gardens, offering recreation and entertainment to Londoners as well as protecting open spaces, squares and London’s Green Belt. It worked to preserve historic buildings and ran the Horniman and Geffrye Museums.

Until the formation of the London Passenger Transport Board the Council operated tramways. It also ran passenger steamers and the Woolwich Ferry.
The Council had a profound impact on the health of Londoners, acquiring 140 of London’s hospitals which would pass to the NHS in 1948, but also providing child welfare, maternity services, immunisation programmes and the care of those with tuberculosis. It provided pioneering services such as the Woodberry Down health centre, the ambulance service, and managed care of the elderly and mental health provision. It ran the London Fire Brigade, oversaw fire prevention and operated salvage services during the war.

From 1904 the LCC took responsibility for education, covering nurseries, schools, colleges, adult education, teacher training and services for the unemployed as well as school meals, school health, and facilities for children with disabilities. The children’s service managed children in care, fostering, adoption and residential services, and welfare services provided facilities for the homeless, unmarried mothers and refugees.

After the Second World War a Royal Commission decided on reform of London’s government to better cope with the enlarged welfare state. The Commission’s report noted that “nobody studying London Government can fail to be deeply impressed with the achievements of the London County Council. It has given the Administrative County of London a strong and able form of government which makes its standing very high among the municipal governments of the world.” In 1965 the LCC was replaced by the Greater London Council (GLC).

You can search The London Picture Archive for further photographs of places and subjects found in this gallery.