Cranfield University's aeronautical archive to be digitised
- Published
Nearly 100,000 photographic negatives charting the story of an aeronautics college from 1957 to 2000 are to be digitised and made available online.
The Cranfield University, external images include "unique photographs of rare aircraft", research facilities and royal visits.
It was founded as the College of Aeronautics in 1946, based at RAF Cranfield, Bedfordshire.
Archivist Karyn Meaden-Pratt said the collection is of "international significance to the aviation sector".
"As the UK's first College of Aeronautics, Cranfield has carried out ground-breaking research and teaching for over seven decades," she said.
Its photography unit chartered aeroplanes from the airfield to capture changes to the local landscape from the sky.
Mrs Meadon-Pratt said: "These photographs document the development and evolution of Milton Keynes, Bedford, Welwyn Garden City, Silsoe village, incorporating views of Flitwick Manor and Shuttleworth House."
The university had already digitised its oldest 20,000 negatives thanks to a charitable foundation.
"It has been an absolute joy to unlock the collection and finally see images that have been lost for the last 65 years," she said.
However, "further funding has proved difficult to attract" until Archives Revealed offered a £3,000 grant, external.
The money will be used to analyse the condition of the collection and advise on future steps.
Mrs Meadon-Pratt hopes the project will attract more funding to continue the digitisation process.
"We can't wait to be able to share more images and find out more about the stories behind them," she said.
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