Historypin: smartphone snapshots wanted

Months back I wrote about adding some photos to www.historypin.com.

I’m repeating myself because I’d like to encourage your ‘Historypin repeats’.

The most exciting aspect of Historypin is the way it allows layering of images, a current view over an older view. I’ve used their inbuilt Google Streetview facility to achieve this to some extent, but it’s not always possible to line things up properly.

There’s a mobile phone app available which you can use to take photos of the current view, and upload to the appropriate location – what they call ‘Historypin repeats’. My channel at present has no Historypin repeats, which seems a shame. I’d like to use the app myself, but don’t have a smartphone.

I’m sure many of my website’s visitors have the necessary technology, and I wondered if anyone wanted to have a go.

You need to register an account at historypin.com. For this you need to login with a Google account. (Many people have these already, with a Gmail account etc.)

The app for your phone (iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7) is available via www.historypin.com/app/

A few ideas from my Historypin channel are listed below. Most are buildings since replaced, industrial heritage cleared, etc. Relatively recently gone, and though they’re industrial, not glamorous, they’re still an important part of York’s more recent history. Some replaced by apartments, office blocks, hotels, in other cases still empty space awaiting redevelopment.

Rowntree’s old factory, from Station Rd area – 1980s view

Same building, from Lendal Bridge – 1970s view (Andy Tuckwell)

INL club, from city walls near Walmgate Bar – 2004

ABB (York carriageworks) entrance – two 1995 photos on historypin

Foss Islands Road and ‘Morrison’s Chimney’, before retail development – 2004

Redfearn National Glass factory, Foss-side – 1970s view (Andy Tuckwell)

Hungate redevelopment area, from Rowntree Wharf – 1990

It would also be nice to have a view of the 21st century shop at 25 Bootham overlaid on its 19th century predecessor:
25 Bootham

And particularly nice to have a current view of Tanner’s Moat – 1930s photo, taken from the bar walls

The app should of course magically find the matching location for you, if you’re near. Let me know if you try it out and how it goes.