Of the many tools available for historical research, one of my favourites for not-too-old research is Google Maps, specifically, Google Street View. While it works slightly differently in the web browser vs cellphones, you can use it to go back in time to see street-level locations at different points over the years… whenever the Google Maps camera car happened to come by.
To illustrate the example, let’s have a look at building on Oxford’s main street that was demolished a number of years ago. The Millstone Lodge, located at the corner of Main St. and Hanlon St., is today the parking lot for MacDiarmid’s Funeral Home.
Using Google Maps <http://maps.google.com>, you can enter a street address or just scroll around the map by dragging the mouse cursor (the experience on a cellphone or tablet app is a little bit different).
When you’ve found the spot you want to examine in detail, grab the little yellow figure at the bottom-right of the screen:
Drag-and-drop that icon at the spot on the street you wish to see as if you were standing in front of the building.
You’ll be shown the most recent street-level view of that spot (you may need to click-and-drag to look in the proper direction). Here’s what we see on 3 October 2024:
In the box at the top-left, click on “See more dates” and you’ll be presented with a row of thumbnails across the bottom of the screen, showing the images captured by Google’s camera car in previous years. Click any one of them to jump to that year.
Selecting the “August 2009” thumbnail, we’re greeted by the Millstone Lodge as it looked fifteen years ago.
Not every address is captured in great detail… you may need to move slightly left or right along the street to find a good view. You can also zoom out slightly to see more of the scene, the method depending on your device, operating system, whether your mouse has a zoom wheel, or by using pinching gestures with your fingers on a cellphone or tablet.
Look up your house! Capture screenshots of how your favourite spots used to look, follow developments in construction (or demolition) over the years. There’s lots to discover using this and other online tools.
