You get a different perspective on Wolverhampton when looking from high above.
Up there with a bird’s eye view the city is laid out like a map below and you see so much more. There have been dramatic changes over the years which are brought into stark focus, such as the ring road which has carved its way through the cityscape, and the Mander Centre which transformed the centre.
Now here’s a question - was Wolverhampton a better place before the major developments of the 1960s and 1970s, or did they make the town, as it was then, keep pace with the needs of the modern world?
Judge for yourselves as we take flight above the city and enjoy a selection of pictures from down the decades and share your memories and views in the comments.
- You can enjoy this and more with our weekly FREE Nostalgia Newsletter - with scores of archive pictures and exclusive features on the history of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire and the Black Country - all sent to your inbox every week. Sign up here
- For anyone curious about where their own family story leads, MyHeritage DNA kits are currently £19.90, excluding shipping. The test can help explore genetic origins and identify DNA matches who may share branches of your family tree.
13. A hospital appointment
New Cross Hospital in Wednesfield Road. It started life as a workhouse in 1904, being turned into a hospital later. Unfortunately we don't have the date of this view. | Express & Star
14. The Mander Centre takes shape
The town centre in about 1967. Beatties store is lower left, and as you can see work on the Mander Centre, which opened in 1968, is well under way. | Express & Star archive
15. A disappeared giant
"An aerial view of Richardson's 100-acre Courtlands industrial estate in Wolverhampton prior to its demolition and redevelopment. New units have been erected for many companies including Turner Manufacturing, Dudley and Wolverhampton Brewery and Manpower Services Commission. Only 38,000 sq ft and four acres remain available." The print has a 1982 datestamp, which is probably when it was published as a looking back picture as the factory had disappeared by then. | Express & Star archive
16. Checking out current affairs
"The Central Electricity Generating Board helicopter flys over Penstone Lane substation, Wolverhampton, as it sets out on an aerial survey of high tension cables," was the original caption to this picture which is undated, but perhaps 1970s or 1980s. | Express & Star archive