West Midlands from the Air Gallery

Ironbridge Gorge 21131_07

Ironbridge Gorge and Buildwas Power Station, Shropshire. The cradle of the Industrial Revolution. Abraham Darby established his iron works at Coalbrookdale in 1708, and in 1778 the first cast-iron bridge in the world, almost an icon of the Industrial Revolution, was erected here (towards the centre of the photograph). This industrial area sits among the greenery of this largely rural county. Photographed in February 2001

© Historic England Archive

Coventry Cathedral EAW024986

COVENTRY CATHEDRAL. The old Cathedral was destroyed by incendiary bombs on 14 November 1940, with only its spire and outer walls surviving. Seen here from the air in July 1949 the Cathedral is surrounded by empty plots where other buildings were destroyed in the Coventry Blitz. The interior of the Cathedral had been cleared and looks very much as it still does today. A new Cathedral was completed on adjoining land in 1962. Aerofilms Collection (see Links)

© Historic England

Worcester in 1948 RAF_541_143_rp_3015

RAF Vertical aerial photograph of Worcester taken on August 24, 1948. The River Severn runs from bottom (north) to top (south) with the Cathedral top left and Worcester racecourse at Pitchcroft also on the left bank. On the right bank can be seen the County Cricket Ground at New Road, the suburb of St Johns and a variety of wartime buildings including the site of what later became the University of Worcester

© source: Historic England Archive