The way it was...
Jenness Mitchell • Published 27 Jun 2012 13:00
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AN exquisite photo of Alloa in 1928 captured from the air has been released online for public viewing.
Britain from Above is a new website featuring rare and fragile aerial snaps from the Aerofilms Collection.
Over 12,000 images taken between 1919 and 2006 from across the UK have been conserved and digitised from the one-million plus archive.
It is hoped that by 2014 some 95,000 will be available, showing the social, architectural and industrial changing face of modern Britain.
Highlights include the Wallace Monument in 1928, Stirling Castle in 1930, The Forth Bridge in 1937, Balmoral Castle in 1948, a mist-hidden Edinburgh in 1949 and a sun-soaked Oban in 1950.
Many shots were taken in the early days of aviation by ex-World War I pilots from extremely low altitudes, a technique which was very dangerous.
Due to their age and fragility, some of the earliest plate glass negatives and old photographic prints were close to being lost forever. They have undergone a painstaking process of conservation and cataloguing.
Anna Eavis, head of archive at English Heritage, said, "The Aerofilms Collection embodies all that is exciting about aerial photography.
"What is equally remarkable is the skill of the expert staff in England, Scotland and Wales who have saved and conserved these vulnerable negatives and prints and converted them into the high-resolution images you see on-screen today.
"We are pleased that the items have been given safe, long-term homes, and that each of the organisations involved has been enriched immensely by their addition."
The interactive website will allow the public to download the images free of charge, customise their own themed photo galleries, share personal memories and add information to help identify a number of 'mystery' locations that have left the experts stumped.
To access Britain from Above, go to www.britainfromabove.org.uk.
Image copyright: RCAHMS (Aerofilms Collection)
This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 27 Jun 12
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