archive black and white photograph of a busy street scene with people and vehicles — Post-war development in New George Street, Plymouth, Devon. Photographed by Andor Gomme in 1957. © Historic England Archive GOM01/05/002/05

Post-war development in New George Street, Plymouth, Devon. Photographed by Andor Gomme in 1957. © Historic England Archive GOM01/05/002/05

The Andor Gomme Collection

The Andor Gomme Collection shows England's towns and villages during the 1950s – a period of rapid change. Across nearly 2,200 photographs, the collection provides a record of both traditional market towns and modern urban centres.

View the collection

Austin Harvey Gomme (1930-2008), known as Andor, was Professor of English Literature and Architectural History at Keele University. He wrote a number of works on architectural history and from 1988-1991 was Chair of the Society of Architectural Historians.

archive black and white photograph of a gaslamp in a narrow alley

An old gas lamp beside weatherboarded buildings in a Braintree alleyway, Essex. Gomme was interested in the details in a streetscape; as well as street lights, he photographed telegraph poles, bus shelters, traffic bollards and road signs. Photographed by Andor Gomme in June 1957. © Historic England Archive GOM01/01/0457

During the 1950s Gomme travelled widely across the country recording the built environment. The photographs he took at that time, now held by the Historic England Archive, depict the towns and villages of England during a period of rapid change. This change was driven by a combination of factors; the after effects of the war, the growing importance of the motor car and a drive to modernise. The collection reflects this, providing a record of traditional market towns and modern urban centres.

archive black and white photograph of a hand-cart near a street corner.

A hand-cart parked on Elder Street, Spitalfields, London. The houses seen in the background are on Folgate Street and contain upper storey windows typically found in weavers’ workshops. Apart from the white house to the extreme left of shot, all of the houses shown here have been demolished. Georgian style terraces have replaced them. Photographed by Andor Gomme in 1957. © Historic England Archive GOM01/05/060/32

Gomme was also attracted to the ‘New Towns’ erected as part of the post-war reconstruction programme. Amongst other locations he visited Harlow, Basildon and Hatfield. Photographs illustrating the boom in local authority housing are a recurrent theme throughout the collection, with Gomme typically recording the traditional buildings in a town centre and the new council estates springing up on its outskirts.

Swindon 1957

When Gomme came to Swindon in March 1957 he recorded the ‘Old Town’ and the Victorian town centre. He also visited Walcot and Park South where he photographed the newly constructed Local Authority estates on the town’s eastern boundary.

archive black and white photograph of a quiet street scene

High Street, Old Town, Swindon, Wiltshire. With the exception of the former Town Hall tower, visible behind the Mason’s Arms, few of the buildings seen here remain today. Photographed by Andor Gomme in 1957. © Historic England Archive GOM01/05/029/23

archive black and white photograph of a suburban street under construction.

Council houses on Leighton Avenue in Park South, Swindon, Wiltshire. The spire of Christ Church in Old Town, is just visible on the horizon. Photographed by Andor Gomme in March 1957. © Historic England Archive GOM01/05/028/05

The records

Gomme mounted his photographs on card, arranged alphabetically by county and location. Many of the cards include annotated, hand-drawn maps indicating not only the spot from which each was taken, but also the direction in which the camera was pointing.