• Rare pictures of St Paul's Cathedral and Blackpool Tower are included in treasured collection made freely available on new Britain from Above website
  • Others show the 1935 FA Cup final, the Queen Mary's maiden voyage in 1936 and the 1947 Thames Flood
  • More than 15,000 photographs taken between 1919 and 1953 have been uploaded on to the site
  • Many were so old and fragile that they were close to being beyond repair
  • Experts appeal to the public for information on pictures they can't identify
  • Conservationists plan to put 95,000 images on the website by the end of 2014

By Rob Preece

PUBLISHED: 18:13 EST, 24 June 2012 | UPDATED: 05:53 EST, 25 June 2012

Striking and evocative, they chart a dramatic period of British history - from the end of the World War One to the year of the Queen's Coronation.

But these treasured photographs of famous landmarks such as St Paul's Cathedral and Blackpool Tower could have been lost forever, were it not for a major conservation project which has made them freely available on the internet for the first time.

More than 15,000 pictures - many so old and fragile that they were close to becoming beyond repair - have been uploaded on to the Britain from Above website, which is launched today.

Aerial view: More than 15,000 photographs, including this picture of St Paul's Cathedral in London from March 1921, have been made freely available on the internet for the first time

Aerial view: More than 15,000 photographs, including this picture of St Paul's Cathedral in London from March 1921, have been made freely available on the internet for the first time

Back to the future: A much cleaner and white modern St Paul's Cathedral and colourful - but seemingly less vibrant - Blackpool Tower in pictures taken last year

Landmarks: The instantly recognisable Blackpool Tower and the Winter Gardens, as they were in July 1920. Landmarks: The instantly recognisable Blackpool Tower and the Winter Gardens, as they were in July 1920.

It is the first batch of some 95,000 images, taken between 1919 and 1953, that are due to be put online in the next two years, showing the changing face of modern Britain.

The pictures come from one of the earliest and most significant collections of aerial photography.

Many shots were said to have been taken during the early days of aviation by former war pilots flying at very low altitudes.

The collection includes rare photographs of some of Britain's most historic landmarks, such as a picture of St Paul's from 1921, a 1927 image of Brighton's West Pier, and a view of the Forth Rail Bridge from 1937.

Full house: Wembley Stadium hosts the 1935 FA Cup final, which Sheffield Wednesday won by beating West Bromwich Albion 4-2. The Cierva autogyro in the foreground was flown by Scotland Yard, experimenting with air observation to monitor crowds

Full house: Wembley Stadium hosts the 1935 FA Cup final, which Sheffield Wednesday won by beating West Bromwich Albion 4-2. The Cierva autogyro in the foreground was flown by Scotland Yard, experimenting with air observation to monitor crowds

Revamped: The new Wembley Stadium (left), which opened on the site of the old one in 2007, and Centre Court beside the newer, spherical Court No 2 at Wimbledon

Pastime: Fans watch the tennis at Wimbledon in June 1921 amid much smaller grounds than exist today Pastime: Fans watch the tennis at Centre Court Wimbledon in June 1921 amid much smaller grounds than exist today

Amusements and attractions: The collection includes an aerial view of Brighton's West Pier, taken in April 1927

Amusements and attractions: The collection includes an aerial view of Brighton's West Pier, taken in April 1927

Updated: Brighton Pier now has a theme park built on the end and the Mersey water front in Liverpool has undergone significant regeneration

Heritage: A July 1920 photograph of George's Stage and the Three Graces in Liverpool is in the collection

Heritage: A July 1920 photograph of George's Stage and the Three Graces in Liverpool is in the collection

But experts have asked the public to help them identify other photographs whose subjects remain a mystery.

The website has interactive features which visitors can use to add information, share personal memories, download images and customise their own themed photo galleries.

Today's launch is the latest stage of a major exercise in conservation and cataloguing.

The photographs come from the Aerofilms Collection, which was acquired for the nation in 2007 when the company faced financial difficulties.

They have been digitised with the help of the English Heritage and the Royal Commissions on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and Wales.

Fog on the Tyne: The Tyne Bridge under construction in Newcastle in 1928 as coal ships and other vessels dock at the riverside

Fog on the Tyne: The Tyne Bridge under construction in Newcastle in 1928 as coal ships and other vessels dock at the riverside

Changing faces: Newcastle's Tyne Bridge this week with Olympic rings added (but missing the industry) and an overhead view of Meadowfield Quay in Glasgow where ships are still being built - but far fewer than in its heyday

Age of industry: The extensive Meadowside Quay and Upper Clyde Shipbuilding Yard in Glasgow in 1931 Age of industry: The extensive Meadowside Quay and Upper Clyde Shipbuilding Yard in Glasgow in 1931. The docks are surrounded by quadrangle tenements for the army of workers

Bird's-eye view: This August 1937 photograph of the Forth Rail Bridge and Inch Garvie in Scotland is freely available online for the first time

Bird's-eye view: This August 1937 photograph of the Forth Rail Bridge and Inch Garvie in Scotland is freely available online for the first time

Updated transport: The Forth Bridge, which is used by trains, was joined to its west by the Forth Road Bridge in 1964, while today Largs ferries are no longer paddle boats

Glorious holidays: Tourists wait at the Largs Harbour Pier on the west Scottish coast to catch a paddle boat steamer to one of the islands Glorious holidays: Tourists wait at the Largs Harbour Pier on the west Scottish coast to catch a paddle boat steamer to one of the islands

Highlights include the first boxing match at Wembley Stadium in 1924, crowds on the banks of the River Clyde watching the first voyage of the newly-built RMS Queen Mary in 1936, and the Thames Flood of 1947.

Other photographs taken in Scotland include bird's-eye views of the Tay bridge, the Wallace Monument, Edinburgh's Princes Street, the Caledonian Canal, Glasgow Green and Hampden Park.

March 1921: Densely packed housing along Kensal Rise, London

Home: A steam train chugs through densely-packed housing Kensal Rise, west London in March 1921

A cliff-top campsite in Crimdon Park, County Durham, was photographed in 1946

Away: A cliff-top campsite in Crimdon Park, County Durham, in 1946 shows how Britons with limited means after the Second World War enjoyed themselves in another age of austerity

Water, water everywhere: A dramatic picture of the Thames Flood of March 1947 can be viewed on the website

Water, water everywhere: A dramatic picture of the Thames Flood of March 1947 can be viewed on the website

Crowds: This July 1948 photograph of Durham Miners Gala is among more than 15,000 images which have been put on the website

Crowds: This July 1948 photograph of Durham Miners Gala is among more than 15,000 images which have been put on the website

When was this taken? Visitors have been urged to share their thoughts on pictures, such as this undated photograph of the civic centre in Swansea, south Wales

When was this taken? Visitors have been urged to share their thoughts on the pictures, such as this undated photograph of the civic centre in Swansea, south Wales

Moving forward: Swansea's former Civic Centre - now known as the Guildhall - reveals many more cars than before the war, while Hampden Park has been revamped

Field of dreams: Hampden Park in Glasgow, where the Scotland football team plays its home matches, as it was in 1927

Field of dreams: Hampden Park in Glasgow, where the Scotland football team plays its home matches, as it was in 1927

Majestic: The collection includes this aerial image of Windsor Castle, taken in August 1928

Majestic: The collection includes this aerial image of Windsor Castle, taken in August 1928

Also shown are the luxury hotel and golf resort at Gleneagles, which will host the 2014 Ryder Cup, as well as the seaside town of Oban, in Argyll, Balmoral Castle and the A8 road which runs through the central belt connecting Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Anna Eavis, head of archive at English Heritage, said that the Aerofilms Collection embodies all that is exciting about aerial photography.

Rebecca Bailey, head of education and outreach at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland said: 'We hope that people today will be able to immerse themselves in the past through the new website, adding their own thoughts and memories to this remarkable collection.'

The photographs can be viewed at www.britainfromabove.org.uk

All aboard: Crowds line the banks of the River Clyde in Clydebank to watch the first voyage of the newly-built Queen Mary in March 1936

All aboard: Crowds line the banks of the River Clyde in Clydebank to watch the first voyage of the newly-built Queen Mary in March 1936

High Street in Oxford, pictured in May 1920

Dreaming spires: The towers, domes and quadrangles of the colleges at the University of Oxford in May 1920

King's College, Cambridge, pictured in January 1920

University days: The magnificent surroundings of King's College, Cambridge, pictured in January 1920


The Caledonian Canal at Kilmallie, pictured in 1950

Black and white beauty: The stunning landscape surrounding the Caledonian Canal at Kilmallie in Scotland, pictured in 1950

The Wallace Monument in Stirling, taken in 1928

Standing proud: Stiirling's Wallace Monument - commemorates the 13th century Scottish hero William Wallace - taken in 1928

Splendour: The grounds of the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, pictured in 1932

Splendour: The grounds of the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, pictured in 1932

Shining light: The Kinnaird Head lighthouse and Denmark Street leading into the town centre of Fraserburgh, Scotland in 1939 at the outrbreak of WWII

Shining light: The Kinnaird Head lighthouse and Denmark Street leading into the town centre of Fraserburgh, Scotland in 1939 at the outrbreak of WWII

Howzat! Northampton cricket ground surrounded by terraced houses and shoe-making factories in 1926

Howzat! Northampton cricket ground surrounded by terraced houses and shoe-making factories in 1926

Early days of flight: A DeHavilland DH9B G-EAVK, which captured many of the aerial photograps, at Hendon airfield, north-west London in 1921

Early days of flight: A DeHavilland DH9B G-EAVK, which captured many of the aerial photograps, at Hendon airfield, north-west London in 1921

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

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In 1920, my Great Grandfather was working in Cunard Building and till this day my family has worked there! It's mazing how times don't always change!

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Re' Unkown date of B&W photo Guildhall, Swansea: The photo must be post 1934, that being the year it was built. Because of the then recession and high unemployment levels, the funds to build the Guildhall came from Government unemployment relief schemes which were designed to ease unemployment and poverty. Even in those days, unemployment money (the dole, now called Job Seekers Allowance) was paid.

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colin young, 14.30; The bridge is not over the Forth of Firth.....but it is over the Firth of Forth.

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Sues comment made me chuckle "why is their a picture off paris amongst these"

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That Brighton pier comparison....well the b&w one is West Pier, which burned down a few years ago. The modern comparison is the Palace Pier, just down the road. Just sayin'

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But lovely photos and a great reminder of how we used to live.

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Are you sure that bridge is over the Forth of Firth? Doesn't look like it to me!

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why is their a picture off paris amongst these - Sue Previsor, Doncaster HSE, 25/6/2012 08:46........My goodness, are you thick or what? Go back to school, learn to spell and try a bit of Geography. - Skittles, Zurich, Switzerland, 25/6/2012 9:21---------Haha looks like you got one bite anyway....

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Thanls DM for these brilliant photos. you came up trumps once again..............................

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A fantastic slice of history.

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