Fascinating never-before-seen photographs taken from the skies above Britain have revealed how the nation’s landmarks and cityscapes have changed over the past 90 years.
Steelworks and collieries, silk mills and potteries, fishing docks and shipyards, a state-of-the-art power station and the country’s first international airport show evidence of an industrious nation during the interwar years.
There are hints too of a life away from work and an increasing focus on leisure, with the mass expansion of seaside resorts such as Bournemouth and the construction of ice rinks and public baths, including in Streatham, Greater London.
However the before and after photographs, taken by aerial photographer Arthur William Hobart, also show how the UK has rapidly changed since the 1930s with sites such as Battersea Power Station seeing massive development in recent decades.
Moreover in central London, St Paul’s Cathedral dominated the capital’s skyline 90 years ago but it is now dwarfed by a sea of skyscrapers.
Likewise, Tower Bridge was once surrounded by a sprawl of low-rise urban buildings but these were cleared by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The photographs also reveal change in rural spots with Formby power station on the Liverpool to Southport railway line now standing empty and derelict. In the 1930s, the site was in full operation with fumes pouring out of its towers.
The captivating 242 black-and-white aerial images of Britain in the 1930s were released today by Historic England.
When Hobart took the images, aerial photography was still a relatively young industry having only just emerged after the First World War.
Hobart, who was born in London in 1882 and began his business around 1920, took images that reflected the market demands of the time.
Photographs for postcards would have been his largest market, but local authorities and the press were also major clients amid an emerging demand from the construction industry and industrial sectors.
It is likely that Hobart, like many early commercial aerial photographers, had served during the First World War in an aerial-related role, but to date no service record has been found for him.
Researchers have discovered he worked as a journeyman baker, commercial traveller and a draper’s clerk prior to engaging in this burgeoning sector.
The images were mostly taken of London, the south east and south west of England, but the collection also includes places across the country including Cumbria, Lancashire, Staffordshire, Tyne and Wear and Yorkshire.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: ‘Flicking through these photos lets you take flight over 1930s England, to see the changing face of the country in the interwar period.
‘Many of us will not have seen so many well-known landmarks and sites from this fresh perspective provided by aerial photography.’
Collectively known as the Air Pictures Portleven Collection, the images form a part of a larger and mostly undiscovered body of Hobart’s aerial photography work, thought to be around 10,000 images in total.
The collection takes its name from a misspelling of ‘Porthleven’, a Cornish fishing village where Hobart lived.
A view over the Royal Albert Hall, Westminster, Greater London, circa 1930s, which was built between 1867 and 1871
This view of Tower Bridge shows the Thames as a busy commercial waterway. Traffic on the bridge reveals how road transport at the time was a mix of motorised and horse-drawn vehicles
Crowds gather at the King George V Graving Dock, Southampton, which was formally opened by King George V and Queen Mary on 26 July 1933. However, construction was not completed until 1934. It was designed for the repair and maintenance of the largest ocean liners
Bamber Bridge Cotton Mill, Lancashire, also known as Wesley Street Mill, was a vast spinning mill designed in 1907. It remained open until the late 1950s and later demolished for housing
Duke Street, Stockport and surrounding roads in Stockport, show the expansion of new housing across the UK in the 1930s
The 1930s saw the proliferation of leisure amenities. Pictured: The pleasure ground and yachting lake in South Shields
Southampton Civic Centre, seen here still under construction, was built between 1928 and 1939 and comprised law courts, municipal offices, guildhall and an art gallery
Originally built to House the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Crystal Palace was moved from Hyde Park to Sydenham Hill. The enlarged structure stood there between 1854 until it was destroyed by fire in 1936
Herd Sands and Bents Recreation Ground, now known as Littlehaven Beach, pictured in South Shields, c.1930s
This aerial photograph shows the extent of rails and roads at Chapel Street Station and surrounding areas in Southport
The Dell, Southampton, circa 1930s, was the home of Southampton Football Club from 1898 to 2001. Hobart’s photograph shows the relatively new West and East Stands
Croydon Aerodrome, also known as ‘The Air Port of London’, opened in 1920. It was an amalgamation of Beddington Aerodrome and the neighbouring Waddon Aerodrome. Beddington was originally established in 1916 to protect London from Zeppelin raids. Croydon was the country’s first international airport
The stretch of Streatham High Street recorded in this photograph includes Streatham Garage, the Congregational Church, Streatham Ice Rink and Streatham Baths
Dean Park Sports Ground, Bournemouth, part of the Dean Park estate, which was established to the north-east of the town centre in the 1860s. Dean Park became a cricket ground in 1880 and was used by Hampshire and Dorset County Cricket Clubs. The Pavilion, which was built in 1902 for the Bournemouth Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club, was listed Grade II in 1988
Bournemouth grew rapidly in the late 19th century and by the1930s was described as having ‘all the most up-to-date accessories of a first-class watering-place and holiday resort’
Townsend Hook and Co Paper Mill, Snodland in Kent. Paper manufacturing has taken place at Snodland since the 18th Century. The paper for the first issue of Radio Times was made here in 1923
The construction of a road after the First World War made Sandbanks, Poole, in Dorset, an accessible tripper destination. The Pavilion was built in 1928 at a cost of nearly £10,000, providing visitors with a sun deck and shelters
Royal Masonic School for Boys, Bushey, Hertfordshire, which was built in 1899 to 1902 to educate the sons of Freemasons. Declining pupil numbers led to the school’s closure in the 1970s. It then became the home of the United States International University (Europe). In the early 21st century, the site was redeveloped into a luxury apartment complex
Victoria and Albert Museum, Westminster, Greater London, circa 1930s. The museum was founded to educate designers, manufacturers and the public in art and design. It moved to South Kensington in 1857
Battersea Power Station under construction and the Gas Holder Station, Wandsworth, Greater London. It was built by the London Power Company to supply almost one fifth of London’s electricity
Newquay, Cornwall. This view shows Fore Street and Towan Beach with a scattering of holidaymakers playing and relaxing on the sand
The Den, New Cross, Greater London. Hobart’s view takes in houses and industry in the Southwark and Lewisham districts of London. The Den, towards the top of the photograph, was the fifth football ground occupied by Millwall Football Club. It opened in 1910 and remained Millwall’s home until 1993
An aerial view over Birchfields Park in Rusholme, during the 1930s taken by Arthur William Hobart
Netley Abbey, Hound, Hampshire, circa 1930s. The Cistercian abbey was founded in 1239 by the Bishop of Winchester. Following the Dissolution, it was converted into a manor house. It fell out of use in the 17th century and later became a picturesque ruin attracting artists and antiquarians
An aerial view over the Hyde Gas Works and the surrounding areas in Hyde, taken during the 1930s
The Oil Well Engineering Company Works in Stockport taken during an aerial photography flight in the 1930s
Porth Beach, Newquay, Cornwall, circa 1930s. Porth Beach was a relatively isolated beach to the north of Newquay. Hobart’s photograph hints at it being accessible only to those who could arrive by motor car
The setting of Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire, is considered to be the finest in England. Its foundations were laid in 1220, and the cloister and Chapter House built in around the 1270s. The spire was added in the following century
The North Lonsdale Iron and Steel Works, Ulverston, shows the industrial influence of Britain in the 1930s
Smith’s Docks in North Shields, North Tyneside. The shipbuilding company William Smith & Co opened its dock at North Shields in 1851. The design for the Royal Navy’s Flower-class corvette, for convoy escort during the Second World War, was prepared here
Hobart took several views of the construction of Twickenham Bridge, London, It was the first large, three-hinge concrete arch bridge to be built in the United Kingdom. The Prince of Wales formally opened the bridge on 3 July 1933
