Julia and her brother at a match.
(Picture: @juliafbennet)Londoners have been reflecting on life before the pandemic on the anniversary of the country’s first lockdown.
Among the tens of thousands of pictures being shared online, under the hashtag #Lastnormalphoto - pubs, monuments, family, food and concerts have been posted.
Although many of the pictures showed the last time people were with their loved ones, after lockdown forced them apart, some were fun and quirky.
One woman wrote: “End of Feb 20 Just bought this sofa in the sale..which I have now spent the last year nearly permanently sat on,” while another said: “I was at a sleepover at The Science Museum in London with my youngest lad and 100s of other schoolchildren.”
End of Feb 20 Just bought this sofa in the sale ..... which I have now spent the last year nearly permanently sat on 😂 #lastnormalphoto pic.twitter.com/uTognyQQyu
— Sue (@Sueba63) March 22, 2021
The hashtag, which has been trending since Monday, has allowed people from across the city to connect with one another and share similar experiences.
One man said he spent his few last weeks before lockdown trying to fly back home from France.
“Panicking about being able to get food shopping or toilet roll when I landed. 2 weeks away from the lockdown. I still feel so absurdly stupid about doing this trip, looking back,” he added.
Here we take a look at how some Londoner’s spent their last few days of freedom:
Dan Barker, a freelance consultant, also joined in on the fun and posted a picture which showed a group of dancers in front of an almost empty Piccadilly Circus.
This was one of the last photos I took before lockdown one.
— dan barker (@danbarker) March 23, 2021
Central London had already emptied, but these dancers were carrying on as normal. Other than traffic, the only people at Piccadilly Circus.#lastnormalphoto pic.twitter.com/Sx06XKIHvf
Emma Jolly went out to watch her son, who is in year 11, perform at the “fantastic” Camden Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall.
She said: “My highlights from this inspirational & joyous evening were Make Your Own Kind of Music, Roman Records rap, Runaway Baby and the massed choirs (including my son) singing It. Must Be Love in front of Suggs.”
#lastnormalphoto 10 March 2020: sitting in a box at the Royal Albert Hall watching my son and other schoolchildren from across Camden performing in the borough's bi-annual Music Festival. pic.twitter.com/2srIXkBe8r
— Emma Jolly 💙 (@emmajolly) March 22, 2021
Julia Bennet at a match with her older brother.
#lastnormalphoto pic.twitter.com/3i9HuBRs7W
— JULIA BENNET (@juliafbennet) March 23, 2021
Professor, Thom Brooks, was out campaigning with Keir Starmer.
My #lastnormalphoto with Keir Starmer at his Leadership HQ. Last time I was in London - and last friend outside Co. Durham I had a beer with pic.twitter.com/4bfqUKhR9V
— Thom Brooks (@thom_brooks) March 23, 2021
Suzanne and her mother, who is a dress-maker, at the Estorick Collection during the Tulio Cralli exhibition.
The second pictures shows them at the Unbound textiles exhibition at Two Temple Place in Victoria Embankment, central London.
My hair was already ridiculous in my #lastnormalphoto when my mum last visited me in London. It's been a long (no pun intended) year. pic.twitter.com/Danp40m6Ki
— Suzanne Thomson (@SuzJTH) March 23, 2021
