This 'Historical Google Earth' Lets You Explore The Britain Of The Past

The first 1,500 photographs are live now.
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A collection of aerial photographs described as the “historical Google Earth” has been made available online by Cambridge University.

The images, from as early as 1945, were taken by former wartime RAF pilots at the instruction of Cambridge archaeologist JK St Joseph.

They chart how the UK’s built environment changed from the bomb-scarred post-war period, with the emergence of motorways, skyscrapers and modern cityscapes.

Ancient landscapes were also photographed in Cambridge’s Committee for Aerial Photography project, with the most recent ones taken in 2009.

The first 1,500 photographs from an archive numbering almost 500,000 went live on a website on Friday.

Panorama of the river Thames, Bermondsey from Southwark Bridge in 1986.
Panorama of the river Thames, Bermondsey from Southwark Bridge in 1986.
Cambridge University Library

Cambridge archaeologist Professor Martin Millett, who has frequently used the original photography in his research, said: “Anyone can go to Google Earth and look at modern satellite imagery – but this is an historical Google Earth that lets you travel back through time to a Britain which no longer exists.

“In this first batch of photos, including some very early colour photography, we have cherry-picked some of the best and most beautiful images documenting the changing face of cities, towns and coastlines from all over the UK.

“Cambridge aerial photography was pioneering and unique. No-one else in the world was doing this – it was genuinely world-leading.”

Millett said the resource now provided a “vital and fascinating window into the past”.

“Once this material is out there and available, it stimulates people to do things we haven’t even thought about yet,” he added.

Corfe Castle, Dorset in 1947.
Corfe Castle, Dorset in 1947.
Cambridge University Library

The university borrowed RAF planes and pilots to take photographs until 1965, when it bought its own Cessna Skymaster.

The plane, based at Cambridge Airport, travelled the length and breadth of Britain to capture high-resolution archaeological detail from the air.

Oxford academic Dr Robert Bewley, a world authority on aerial archaeology, described the collection as “internationally important”.

Newhaven Docks in 1983.
Newhaven Docks in 1983.
Cambridge University Library

“St Joseph became a pioneer of air archaeology after his work analysing RAF reconnaissance photos during World War Two, and came to realise there was a huge opportunity to use similar photos in archaeology and geology,” he said.

“He chose former RAF bomber pilot Flight Lieutenant Derek Riley – who had been an archaeologist before the war – to take him on his first trip.

“In those days you could fly where you wanted with few restrictions and that’s exactly what they did.”

Dolgarrog, Denbigh in 1948.
Dolgarrog, Denbigh in 1948.
Cambridge University Library

The Department of Geography and Cambridge University Library are exploring potential plans to digitise the remaining hundreds of thousands of photographs and negatives in the aerial photography archive.

The first images are available at Cambridge University’s Digital Library at cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk

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