Historic pictures show how these 11 iconic English landmarks have changed over time

History fans rejoice!

Historic England have launched a new Aerial Photography Explorer which will allow people to search and explore an online map showing aerial snaps of England over the past 100 years.

Navigating the map and getting a birds-eye view of England gives users an insight into how the nation’s urban centres and rural landscapes have changed over the past century.

Over 400,000 snaps from 1919 to the present day have been added to the tool, covering almost 30 per cent (about 15,000 square miles) of England.

Most of the images, around 300,000, are the work of Historic England’s Aerial Investigation and Mapping team. Established in 1967, the team takes photographs of England from the air to discover new archaeological sites, create archaeological maps and monitor the condition of historic sites across the country.

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The remaining 100,000 images come from the Historic England Archive aerial photography collection, which numbers over six million images in total, and includes important historic photography, including interwar and post-war images from Aerofilms Ltd and The Royal Air Force.

To celebrate the release of the map, here are what 11 iconic English landmarks looked like in the past, and what they look like today:

Buckingham Palace: 1951

Buckingham Palace: 2015

Trafalgar Square: 1930

Trafalgar Square: 2021

Westminster: 1949

Westminster: 2006

Tower Bridge: 1929

Tower Bridge: 2021

Stonehenge: 1948

Stonehenge: 2013

Blackpool Tower: 1920

Blackpool Tower: 2012

Brighton: 1949

Brighton: 2016

Cerne Abbas Giant: 1947

Cerne Abbas Giant: 2015

Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool: 1920

Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool: 2008

York Minster: 1947

York Minster: 2014

Bridges over the Tyne: 1981

Bridges over the Tyne: 2005

To check out a specific landmark or area for yourself, visit Historic England’s website.

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