The Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew, Peterborough, 1932.(Photo: Historic England)The Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew, Peterborough, 1932.(Photo: Historic England)
The Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew, Peterborough, 1932.(Photo: Historic England)

Historic England aerial photographs: 100-year-old images of Peterborough accessible in new online archive

Over 400,000 aerial photographs taken of the East of England over the last 100 years available to view in new online tool.

Historic England has launched a new online tool making over 400,000 aerial photographs of the East of England over the past 100 years available to view online for the first time.

The Aerial Photography Explorer allows users to search and explore an online map revealing aerial photographs of the East of England from 1919 to the present day.

The aerial imagery offers a fascinating insight into the development and expansion of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire’s urban and rural areas.

Photographs of the Cambridgeshire area include views of the 2014 flooding of the Great Ouse river over Fen Drayton, buried archeological ditches in Conington and the earthworks of a medieval village within the grounds of Childerley Hall.

The online tool covers major areas of the East of England - including Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Essex.

300,000 of the aerial photographs in the collection are the work of Historic England’s Aerial Investigation and Mapping team - the remaining 100,000 images come from the Historic England Archive aerial photography collection.

Tony Calladine, East of England Regional Director, Historic England said: “I am delighted that our new online tool will allow people to browse our wonderful collection of historic aerial photos that my team uses every day to unlock the mysteries of England’s past.

“The remarkable pictures of the East of England give a fascinating insight into our local areas, allowing people to see how their street and their town centre looked when their great grandparents lived there.”

Nigel Huddleston MP, Minister for Heritage, said: "What better way to discover our shared history than through this fascinating new online tool which offers a bird's eye view of our past.

“I can't wait to discover more about my local area and encourage everyone to explore the thousands of English sites from the last century."

Over the coming years, Historic England aims to expand the platform - as more of the six million aerial images in the Historic England Archive are digitised.

To access the aerial photographs, visit: https://HistoricEngland.org.uk/AerialPhotos