The aerial photographer was up and around in 1946 and what an interesting view he captured.

In the foreground is the war scarred Chapelhay. Nature has recaptured the area where the mine landed on 17 November 1940, doing so much damage. Many properties, if not demolished, were seriously damaged and would become compulsorily purchased by the Council and the site redeveloped.

READ MORE: View of Weymouth the summer before the Second World War

This was done in stages and one section of Holy Trinity School would last until1965, the main section being demolished in 1961/2.

Steam from the breweries of Devenish and Groves suggest that beer is in production, and residents of that time would be used to the brewery hooter.

On the other side of the harbour, three of Cosens paddle steamers are seen, Consul just above the Town Bridge awaiting reconditioning after war service, and Embassy and Monarch are moored by Ferry’s Corner, the latter with only four years to go before she was withdrawn after a career of 62 years. Loads of engineering equipment fills up the land at the loop which had been created in 1938/9 as part of the scheme to ease the curve on the harbour tramway.

Adjoining the slope to the Town Bridge is a derelict site, which once housed buildings demolished to improve the approach to the bridge from St. Thomas Street. This site was incorporated into Town Bridge House, built in 1957/8.

Buildings now no longer in existence include Maiden Street Methodist Church, gravely fire damaged in 2002, and whose future is uncertain, and the “Red Warehouse”

on the corner of Custom House Quay and St. Mary Street, which was demolished in 1958 and which today could have been converted for a restaurant and flats. Most of the area bounded by Commercial Road, Lower St Alban St and St Nicholas Street has been redeveloped.

In the centre of the photograph the railway viaduct of 1909 across Radipole Lake went in the mid 1970s, and the twin spires of Gloucester Street Congregational Church and the building of Christ Church in King Street are prominent. Radipole Lake’s car park was ten years away.

A plume of steam indicates the departure of a train from the railway station, replaced in 1986 and now the subject of much discussed improvements. The Pier Bandstand will just be getting back to its season of entertainment after the privations of war.

In the background are the wastes of Lodmoor, the subject of many ambitious schemes which never came to fruition and post war development of Southdown and Preston were many years off.

GEOFF PRITCHARD