In March 2022 Historic England launched its new Aerial Photography Explorer. For the first time this allows users to search and explore an online map showing aerial photographs of England over the past 100 years. Aerial imagery provides a fascinating insight into the development and expansion of the nation’s urban centres and changes to the rural landscape. It can also reveal striking discoveries – such as ‘cropmarks’ showing hidden, archaeology beneath the surface.

Over 400,000 images from 1919 to the present day have been added to the tool, covering nearly 30% (about 15,000 square miles) of England, allowing people immediate digital access to Historic England’s nationally important collection of aerial photographs.

Further details of the archive and link to the Aerial Photography Explorer can be found here: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/archive/collections/aerial-photos/