In pictures: Remarkable photos chart fascinating history of Piccadilly Circus

Fascinating photographs have offered a unique perspective on ever-changing Piccadilly Circus.

Images, some dating as far back as the turn of the last century, show a very different London.

The oldest photos show horses and carts lining the streets as smartly-dressed Londoners clad in dark coats go about their business.

Meanwhile, more recent images, from the 1950s onwards, show the iconic junction lit up in its familiar bright colours.

The area is now world-famous for its neon signs. The first of many illuminated adverts, for Perrier sparkling water, was erected in 1908.

Coca-Cola has had a sign at Piccadilly Circus since 1954, and many other big name brands advertise their products there.

As well as being known for its video displays and neon signs, Piccadilly Circus is famous for the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue of Eros.

The junction was designed by John Nash as a way of linking Piccadilly with Regent Street, and opened in 1819.

Around 1858 the area, which was originally circular, was briefly known as Regent's Circus, and although it lost its circular form in 1886 with the construction of Shaftesbury Avenue, the name "Circus" stuck.

Piccadilly Circus Tube station opened many years later in 1906, on the Bakerloo line, and later that year, the Piccadilly Line.

The area is now one of the capital's most famous landmarks, attracting almost 72 million visitors each year, many of whom also visit other attractions nearby including the Ritz Hotel, the London Pavilion, the Criterion Theatre, and Fortnum & Mason luxury department store.