Four years since Covid: Photos show south London's lockdown

We have gone back through out archives to find memories from that first lockdown for you to look back on.

While some of these memories involve photos and videos of people clapping for NHS workers and social media trends sharing beautiful photos of south London, there were also plenty of photos shared of crammed tube carriages and crowds waiting outside of supermarkets.

On March 20, 2020, just two days after the UK went into lockdown, the News Shopper shared photos of chaos outside of supermarkets in Greenwich and Lewisham.

New Cross Gate Sainsburys (Image: Contributor)

This came after a new policy was introduced for a dedicated shopping hour for the most vulnerable to shop.

Local resident Lana Minielli in particular was very excited to take her 82-year-old father who suffers from peripheral artery disease in his legs to the shops after previously being faced with empty shelves.

They were “very excited” and woke up extra early to get his shop but arrived to find an “enormous crowd” waiting outside of New Cross Gate Sainsburys.

She said: "It was damp and cold, but we joined the crowd . We quickly realised there was absolutely no way we were going to be able to get to the front and were forced to leave."

"I am still furious now. The older and vulnerable shoppers were told they could shop in the first hour of opening, but instead were kept locked out in the cold."

Photos shared at the time show hoards of people waiting outside of the Sainsburys with bags and trolleys waiting to get inside.

On March 25, just one week after the lockdown was announced, the News Shopper shared photos showing a packed London underground, despite key workers pleading for services to be staggered.

Crowded tube during lockdown (Image: Contributor)

At the time, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that there was “no good reason” for train timetables to be cut as much as they were.

But a spokesperson for Sadiq Khan said insisted that ministers were told “countless times” that tube frequencies reflect high levels of staff sickness and self-isolation.

Key workers took to Twitter at the time to share their frustration with the packed tube carriages.

Barry Trimble, who said his work involves ensuring cancer patients receive chemotherapy, posted at the time: "The Tube is packed, with social distancing impossible.

"We need more people to stay at home and more trains running in morning and evening peak."

Blackheath (Image: @JonCullen8)

On March 30, 2020, people shared their favourite photos of south London under a social media trend of #PictureOfSouthLondon.

The photos were shared to lift people’s spirits as they adjusted to lockdown.

One of the photos shows the sun setting over New Cross Road, with the sky a beautiful amber colour.

Beckenham Place Park (Image: @AnnaFarah21)

Another shows mist settling over Beckenham Place Park with the mansion in the distance.

A sunnier photo shows Blackheath on a radiant day and another photo shows Forster Park in Catford as the sun sets behind the trees.

The final picture shows Greenwich foot tunnel empty and desolate with light at the end.

Love my Street. ‘You Raise Me Up’ sung in tribute to the NHS with candles for loved ones. Thank you J&S for being the centre of our community here. @DanLThorpe @Royal_Greenwich pic.twitter.com/CyWaAYVlBV

— melanieprecious (@melaniepreciou3) April 23, 2020

In another spread of positivity during the early days of lockdown, the News Shopper shared videos of people clapping for key workers.

At 8pm every Thursday during lockdown, many people would stand outside of their homes and clap for those working to help people affected by Covid-19.

In Greenwich, one particular street filmed and published a rendition of You Raise Me Up in a unique effort to thank the NHS for its hard work.

In a similar effort, a resident of Charlton Lane shared a video in which the street appeared to dance to ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen.