Autumn 2021 : Skyscan will soon retire after 37 years working in aerial photography
A new home will be found for the Archive. Contact Skyscan for further information
 
Wapping 1989 |
Wapping 2002 |
Gatwick 1930 |
Gatwick Formal Opening 1958 |
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Isle of Dogs 1990 |
Isle of Dogs 2008 |
Canary Wharf 1990 |
Canary Wharf 2010 |
The Chorley Handford / Realistic Archive
The Chorley Handford / Realistic Archive was started by photographer Archie Handford in Croydon in the 1950's. The business was
taken over and later relocated to Wallington as Realistic. This important collection documents the social and built history of the country, for over 60 years from post WW2 to modern times. It includes overlapping perspective surveys of central London and many suburbs and important progress
photographs of major construction projects including
- Greenwich peninsula regeneration and the Dome construction
- airport developments including Gatwick (from 1958), Heathrow, City, Stanstead and others
- construction of the QE2 and Second Severn Crossing bridges
- major shopping developments such as Blue Water
- premier league football stadia and other sporting venues
- power stations such as Sizewell, Shoreham, Fulham, Blackwall
and many cities, towns, villages, heritage sites and landscapes throughout the UK over the decades.
December 2009 : Skyscan acquires historic archive
Skyscan purchased the Chorley Handford / Realistic Collection of over 100,000 colour aerial photographs
of the UK captured from 1958 to modern day.
Skyscan's Library Manager Brenda Marks said "There was a real risk that this important archive would be mothballed and a lot of history lost
so we are delighted to be able to secure the collection for the future and make it accessible. It will be of particular importance to companies and consultants who
need to investigate the changes at a location over the years."
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Boxes of photos before
cataloguing! |
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