1930s England from the air – in pictures

Historic England is releasing the Air Pictures Portleven Collection, a unique archive of images revealing 1930s England from the air taken by pioneering aerial photographer Arthur William Hobart, on its website. Hobart started in the young aerial photography industry in about 1920. This way of capturing the new developments and industry of the time provides a fascinating and informative insight into a changing country

Smith’s Docks, North Shields, North Tyneside

The shipbuilding company William Smith & Co opened its docks at North Shields in 1851. The design for the Royal Navy’s Flower-class corvette, for convoy escort during the second world war, was prepared here. All photographs: Historic England Archive / Air Pictures Portleven Collection

St Paul’s Cathedral, London

The collection includes national landmarks such as St Paul’s Cathedral, seaside resorts, industrial sites, sports grounds, new housing estates and major national infrastructure such as Twickenham Bridge.

Photograph: Historic England Archive (Air Pictures Portleven Collection)

Cathedral Church of St Mary, Salisbury, Wiltshire

The setting of Salisbury Cathedral is considered to be the finest in England. Its foundations were laid in 1220 and the cloister and chapter house built in about the 1270s. The spire was added in the following century

Tower Bridge, London

Unsurprisingly, Hobart photographed several well-known landmarks in the capital. This view of Tower Bridge shows the Thames as a busy commercial waterway. Traffic on the bridge reveals how road transport at the time was a mix of motorised and horse-drawn vehicles

Tolcarne beach, Newquay, Cornwall

In the early 20th century, Newquay was the most fashionable and popular seaside resort in Cornwall. While the town was considered uninteresting, it offered fine hotels, promenades and extensive beaches

Bamber Bridge cotton mill, Lancashire

Also known as Wesley Street mill, this vast spinning mill was designed in 1907 and remained open until the late 1950s. It was demolished in the early 21st century and the site filled with streets of houses

The Pavilion, Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset

The construction of a road after the first world war made Sandbanks an accessible destination. The Pavilion was built in 1928 at a cost of nearly £10,000, providing visitors with a sun deck and shelters (photograph circa 1930s)

Trent and New Wharf potteries, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent

Strong sunlight illuminates the factories, sited next to the Burslem Branch canal, which connected with the Trent and Mersey canal

Lancaster Castle, Lancashire

Lancaster Castle occupies the site of a Roman fort. The keep was built in about 1150. For centuries, the castle was a place of incarceration and was HM Prison Lancaster from 1955 to 2011. During the 1930s, it was used as a police training establishment (photograph circa 1930s)

Bournemouth town centre, Dorset

Bournemouth grew rapidly in the late 19th century. In the early 20th century, it was described as having ‘all the most up-to-date accessories of a first-class watering place and holiday resort’ (photograph circa 1930s)

North Lonsdale iron and steel works, Ulverston, Cumbria

Scotia engine works and environs, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear

The Den, New Cross, London

Hobart’s view takes in houses and industry in the Southwark and Lewisham districts of London. The Den, towards the top of the photograph, was the fifth football ground occupied by Millwall FC. It opened in 1910 and remained Millwall’s home until 1993

Crowds at the King George V Graving Dock, Southampton

The dry dock was formally opened by King George V and Queen Mary on 26 July 1933. However, construction was not completed until 1934. It was designed for the repair and maintenance of the largest ocean liners

Albert silk mills and environs, Macclesfield, Cheshire

Herd Sands and Bents Recreation Ground, South Shields, Tyne and Wear

Herd Sands is now called Littlehaven Beach

The Crystal Palace, Bromley, London

Originally built to house the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Crystal Palace was moved from Hyde Park to Sydenham Hill in south-east London. The enlarged structure stood there from 1854 until it was destroyed by fire in 1936

Twickenham Bridge, London

Hobart took several views of the construction of Twickenham Bridge. It was the first large, three-hinge concrete arch bridge to be built in the UK. The Prince of Wales formally opened the bridge on 3 July 1933

Southampton Civic Centre under construction

The Civic Centre was built between 1928 and 1939. It comprised law courts, municipal offices, a guildhall and an art gallery

Battersea power station under construction and the gas holder station, Wandsworth, London

Battersea power station was built in two main phases, 1929-35 and 1937-41. It was built by the London Power Company to supply almost a fifth of London’s electricity

Duke Street and environs, Stockport, Greater Manchester

Streatham Ice Rink, London

The stretch of Streatham High Street recorded in this photograph includes Streatham Garage, the Congregational church, Streatham Ice Rink and Streatham Baths. The baths opened in 1927 and the ice rink in 1931. Both closed in the early 21st century and the site was redeveloped for housing and a supermarket. A new leisure centre was subsequently built on the site of Streatham Garage

The Dell, Southampton

The Dell was the home of Southampton FC from 1898 to 2001. Hobart’s photograph shows the relatively new West and East stands. The former, nearer the camera, was designed by the prolific stadium designer Archibald Leitch. Building work started in 1927 and two years later the East Stand was replaced after a fire

Springs Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool canal and the town centre, Skipton, North Yorkshire

Barnehurst golf course and the Barnehurst estate, Bexley, London

Barnehurst golf course opened in 1903. Electrification of the local railway line stimulated new housing developments in the 1920s and 1930s. The construction of the Barnehurst estate of 578 semi-detached houses adjacent to the golf course began in 1926 (photograph circa 1930s)

Dean Park sports ground, Bournemouth

The Dean Park estate was established to the north-east of Bournemouth town centre in the 1860s. Dean Park became a cricket ground in 1880 and was used by Hampshire and Dorset county cricket clubs. The pavilion, which was built in 1902 for the Bournemouth Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club, was listed Grade II in 1988. Nearby is Bournemouth Central railway station, as it was then called