There is an undoubted interest in the ability to see a subject from a slightly different angle. Aerial photography provides a unique overview of a subject, allowing the viewer to put into context sights that may be highly familiar from the ground. Combine this fascinating angle with the undoubted popularity of the ' Then & Now' approach
- to show continuity & change in the landscape
- & that ability is considerably extended. It is only from the air that the enthusiast can gain a true impression of how far the railways dominated the landscape & how far even relatively unimportant locations were dominated by the railway. Moreover, it is through the comparison that the reader can fully appreciate how far the importance of the railway has declined in many places & how far society itself has changed over the past decades. The first collection of ' Then & Now' comparison shots using the superb archive of the Aerofilms company was published to critical acclaim in 1998 & was subsequently reprinted. However, with a collection that encompasses many hundreds of thousands of images over an 80-year period, the first volume used but a fraction of the number of ' Then' photographs available. This second collection, therefore, goes further into the archive, delving deep to produce a fascinating range of locations
- from major railway towns like Darlington to rural branches like Bridport
- to illustrate the changing face of the British landscape over the past decades. As with the previous book, specially commissioned contemporary photographs provide a remarkable contrast between the scenes recorded more than 30 years ago & those of the present day. Each entry is provided with a detailed account telling the reader the story behind the photographs &, where necessary, key maps are provided to pin-point specific locations.