Vintage Photographs Captured Sheep on the Streets of London in the 1920s and 1930s

   

In the 1920s and 1930s, sheep were routinely introduced into London parks to keep the grass under control and reduce mowing costs. Shepherds competed for the privilege of grazing their flocks on Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Clapham Common and other pastures around the city.

Though these woolly lawnmowers were eventually barred from grazing in the city in the late 1950s, they have recently experienced a resurgence. In 2010, sheep were introduced to Hampstead Heath as an eco-friendly alternative to machine mowing.

 
Crossing the Waterloo Bridge, 1924.

 

Vintage Photographs Captured Sheep on the Streets of London in the 1920s and 1930s

 
A flock of sheep head down the Kingsway in London, 1926.

 

Vintage Photographs Captured Sheep on the Streets of London in the 1920s and 1930s

On the Strand, 1926.

 

Vintage Photographs Captured Sheep on the Streets of London in the 1920s and 1930s

Holding up traffic in the Aldwych, 1928.

 

Vintage Photographs Captured Sheep on the Streets of London in the 1920s and 1930s

In Hyde Park, 1929.

 

Vintage Photographs Captured Sheep on the Streets of London in the 1920s and 1930s

Heading down Piccadilly from Hyde Park to Green Park, 1931.

 

Vintage Photographs Captured Sheep on the Streets of London in the 1920s and 1930s

1931

 

Vintage Photographs Captured Sheep on the Streets of London in the 1920s and 1930s

A straggler dodges traffic in Hyde Park, 1933.

 

Vintage Photographs Captured Sheep on the Streets of London in the 1920s and 1930s

1933

 

Vintage Photographs Captured Sheep on the Streets of London in the 1920s and 1930s

By the Serpentine in Hyde Park, 1936.

 

Vintage Photographs Captured Sheep on the Streets of London in the 1920s and 1930s

On Queen Victoria Street, 1937.

 

Vintage Photographs Captured Sheep on the Streets of London in the 1920s and 1930s

 
1938