Resources - Plotting the Past, Planning the Future- Aerial Views

Plotting the Past, Planning the Future - Aerial Views of Worcester

District view
1999

City Centre & St Johns
1999

City Centre
1999

City Centre
1998

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Aerial Views of Worcester

From the early 20th century, aerial photographs chart the changing form of the city. The first coverage by vertical photography - effectively a complete photographic map of the city and its surrounding countryside - was made in 1938, just before the Second World War.

In 1938, the city centre still retained a great deal of its medieval plan of streets and burgage plots. Industry and housing still occupied much of the centre. Only on the western side of the High Street, towards the river, had slum clearance made much impression on the densely built-up pattern. The river and canal were still busy with trade, as was the railway, and there were few vehicles on the streets. Further out, the suburbs were beginning to expand rapidly.

Worcester from the air, October 1938 - click on image for a bigger picture and more information

1938 aerial survey

The changes brought by the mid to late 20th century can clearly be seen. New roads, including City Walls Road, have been cut through parts of the city centre. Other streets, such as Dolday, have gone, and much of the densely packed grain, representing hundreds of years of rebuilding, has been replaced by car parks and large modern stores and shopping precincts.

Introduction

Aerial Views of Worcester

The Worcester 1250 Model

Making the Model

Life in 13th Century Worcester

The Life of a Plot

Inheriting the Landscape

Related Topics

Potted Histories - Medieval Worcester

Worcester Maps & Plans