Now made public, the Air Pictures 'Portleven Collection' is a unique collection of interwar aerial photos taken by little known aerial photographer, Arthur William Hobart, and newly digitised by the Historic England Archive. The collection takes its name from a misspelling of Porthleven in Cornwall where Hobart lived. It features 242 black and white aerial images showing the national landmarks, towns, industrial sites, construction projects and seaside resorts of 1930s interwar England.
Battersea Power Station under construction and the Gas Holder Station, Wandsworth, Greater London, circa 1930s. 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 one fifth of London's electricity.
(Image: Historic England Archive (Air Pictures Portleven Collection)) Locations are focused on London, the south east and south west of England, and feature everything from national landmarks such as St Paul's Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral, to industrial sites including Battersea Power Station and Smith's Docks in North Tyneside. There are also sports grounds, new housing estates and major national infrastructure such as Twickenham Bridge. Hobart's view of St Paul's Cathedral from the west takes in the City of London and out towards Spitalfields and beyond.
St Paul's was completed in 1710 to designs by Sir Christopher Wren. It replaced the medieval cathedral damaged in the Great Fire (Image: Historic England Archiv.
