Dorset - Then and Now from the Air

During the Second World War great strides were made in the field of aerial photography and photographic interpretation. Then as the allies were advancing across Europe they made a remarkable discovery. In 1940, as part of their plans for the invasion of Britain, the Germans had photographed much of southern England. Looking at these pictures it was immediately apparent how useful such images would be in the process of planning and reconstruction of Britain in the aftermath of the war. However the German photographs were not suitable, as they had been taken with a specific purpose in mind and only covered part of southern Britain:what was needed was a complete survey of the entire country. The RAF was given the task, and completed it in a matter of months - between 1946 and 1947 they photographed England, Wales and much of Scotland! The value of these pictures was immense and, since then, these surveys have been repeated on several occasions. The sixty years since the photographs were taken has been one of massive changes in Dorset, towns and villages have grown, railways have gone and new roads have been built, in the countryside hedges have been removed, and trees have spread.The wartime infrastructure, still a feature of the landscape in 1947, has either disappeared or been altered almost beyond recognition. The 1947 photographs have been used by professionals (including planners, archaeologists and ecologists) for many years, but have not been easily available to the wider public. In this profusely illustrated large-format volume, a selection of the photographs of Dorset are published, in many cases for the first time, alongside contemporary photographs of the same area.The changes may well fascinate, surprise and amaze