November 03, 2010 -- Following an exclusive agreement between aerial survey specialist Bluesky and Getmapping the original images that make up the Millennium Map will now be available from www.oldaerialphotos.com. Billed at the time as a modern day equivalent of the Domesday Book the Millennium Map was the first commercial countrywide survey and is credited with the popularisation of aerial photography with reader offers in UK daily newspapers and reports that the Queen had invested in the company.
The 120,000 images cover the whole of England and Wales, and parts of Scotland, at a resolution of 25cm with selected cities at up to 10cm resolution and date from 1999 to 2001. The agreement will also see Bluesky take delivery of the original aerial survey films that will be held at their secure archive facility in Leicestershire.
“As some of these images are more than ten years old their inclusion on the OldAerialPhotos website, the home of historical aerial photography in the UK, seemed an obvious addition to existing sales channels,” commented Pete Bonham, Business Manager at Getmapping. “By storing the original films at Bluesky’s dedicated archive centre we are also helping to preserve them for future generations.”
“Having been part of the team that created the Millennium Map we are delighted that an agreement has been made to allow them to be stored at the Bluesky offices with other important archives,” commented Rachel Tidmarsh, Managing Director of Bluesky. “By moving the original films to archive facility we can speed up the order fulfilment process and ensure they are stored in the optimum conditions for longevity.”
Visitors to www.oldaerialphotos.com can already search through more than a million aerial photos dating back as far as 1917 by simply entering a postcode, address or grid reference. Detailed search results, including the age and ground coverage, of every image that matches the search criteria are displayed and the visitor can choose to purchase a hard copy print, digital image file or money saving photopack.
Photos that are available to purchase from www.oldaerialphotos.com include some of the earliest commercial aerial survey images, military photography from World War II and many national archives. Offering a record of most major UK cities and towns, transport and utility infrastructure and commercial property developments, the images are an invaluable resource for anyone with a personal or professional interest in local studies, genealogy, boundary disputes, environmental land use research or town planning.
CONTACTS: www.bluesky-world.com www.oldaerialphotos.com Bluesky tel +44 (0)1530 518 518
