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Long queues formed outside cinemas to see the latest silent films. Theatres and music halls played to packed houses. It was a year of creativity and invention within the arts but also one of nostalgia for old Edwardian certainties. 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Famous beauties were kept by aristocrats and royalty and referred to as courtesans, although in many cases the dividing line between them and their less fortunate sisters lining the streets was thin indeed.The ending of the Great War saw the appearance of drugs, although at this stage they were mainly confined to the rich and influential as London entered the 'jazz age'. The second world war and the Blitz was not all about the spirit and bravery of Londoners, as gangs plundered wrecked houses and even stole from corpses. After the war the likes of the violent Jack Spot and Billy Hill were superseded by the Kray twins and the sadistic Richardson brothers, as they fought for control of London's drinking clubs. A little light relief was offered throughout the years by a succession of sexual scandals. 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