Roadworks Collection

Mechanical digger

The Old Toll Gate, Highgate
The Old Toll Gate and Toll House, Highgate in 1873 - Archway (erected in 1813) visible in the distance - the toll gate was demolished in 1876. Date: 1873

Tarring roads in Swanley, Kent. 1936

Repairing Belgian Road, 22 Oct 1918. Creator: Bain News Service
Repairing Belgian Road, 22 Oct 1918 (date created or published later). Men and vehicle repairing a road in Belgium during World War I.

Street Paver, before 1927, 1956 publication. Creator: Eugene Atget
Street Paver, before 1927, 1956 publication

Street in Montmartre, Paris, in the Winter, 1885-1931. Creator: Willem de Zwart
Street in Montmartre, Paris, in the Winter, 1885-1931

Road-building by Tuskegee students, 1904. Creator: Frances Benjamin Johnston
Road-building by Tuskegee students, 1904

The Tanner's Council, between 1910 and 1920. Creator: Harris & Ewing. The Tanner's Council
The Tanner's [sic] Council, between 1910 and 1920. USA. Signs: Rooms for Rent; Furnished Rooms; The Tanners Council of the United States of America; Drugs'

Sappers repairing the road between Schumla and Varna, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Sappers repairing the road between Schumla and Varna, 1854. British soldiers during the Crimean War. The fortified town of Schumla, now Shumen in Bulgaria, was strategically important

Laying cobblestones in Montmartre (landscape with a cart), 1889. Creator: Maximilien Luce
Laying cobblestones in Montmartre (landscape with a cart), 1889

Stock Sound, 1940. Creator: Eric Hallstrom
Stock Sound, 1940. Two workers carry out street work in a wintry Stocksund, outside Stockholm

View of the road construction near the village of Practichi, 1909. Creator: Vladimir Ivanovich Fedorov
View of the road construction near the village of Practichi, 1909. Amur Oblast Museum of Regional History and Folklife

Music Shop Noise, Queen Street, Lostwithiel, Cornwall. April 1992
Michael Ransley, who owns instrument making premises in Queen Street, has been forced to move out because of constant road works outside his shop

St Giles Cripplegate JLP01_08_068844
ST GILES CRIPPLEGATE, FORE STREET, City of London. An exterior view from the north-east of St Giles-without-Cripplegate, a medieval gothic church on the Barbican development site

A view of Worcester Street and Market Hall Bull Ring, Birmingham, West Midlands, February 1959

Labourer Mr Idris Silman takes a break, Tredegar, Wales
Mr Idris Silman, a manual labourer, takes a short break while digging up the road in Tredegar, South Wales. He sits on the raised pavement with his shovel. The Sunday Times Date: 1988

Laying tram tracks, London, early 1900s Date: early 1900s

Preparing the ground for the construction of emergency buildings... Washington, D.C, 1943. Creator: Gordon Parks
Washington, D.C. Preparing the ground for the construction of emergency buildings on Independence Avenue

Street scene as the army began to sing, Salvation Army, San Francisco, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Salvation Army, San Francisco, California. Street scene as the army began to sing

Unemployed young men pause a moment... Salvation Army, San Francisco, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Salvation Army, San Francisco, California. Unemployed young men pause a moment to loiter and watch, and then pass on. [Signs: Money Loaned on Everything; Pawnbrokers ]

General view of army and crowds, Salvation Army, San Francisco, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Salvation Army, San Francisco, California. General view of army and crowds. [Signs: Danger - Street Closed; Pause...Drink Coca-Cola; Steam Welcome Here; Okanes Imported Whiskies - Bourbon

A Sussex By-Pass, 1937 (tempera on canvas & panel)
MHW256658 A Sussex By-Pass, 1937 (tempera on canvas & panel) by Wadsworth, Edward Alexander (1889-1949); 52x38.5 cm; Private Collection; English, out of copyright

Men at work road sign in India, 2019. Creator: Unknown
Men at work road sign in India, 2019

Fifth Avenue Omnibuses... 1885. Creator: Unknown
Fifth Avenue Omnibuses: Proposed Design for the New Fifth Ave Omnibus & The Old Broadway Stages in 1831, 1885. From Harpers Weekly, December 5, 1885

Road resurfacing work in Cornhill (b / w photo)
3637340 Road resurfacing work in Cornhill (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Road resurfacing work in Cornhill)

Road improvements to the Strand, Westminster, London, 1900 (b / w photo)
6015058 Road improvements to the Strand, Westminster, London, 1900 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Road improvements to the Strand, Westminster)

The Pabst Hotel, 42nd Street, Broadway and 7th Avenue, New York
MNY380694 The Pabst Hotel, 42nd Street, Broadway and 7th Avenue, New York, 1919 (silver gelatin print) by Byron Company (fl.1890-1942); 27.9x35.6 cm; Museum of the City of New York

S. P. C. A. Gravel Truck, Philadelphia, c. 1920 (b / w photo)
AKM203529 S.P.C.A. Gravel Truck, Philadelphia, c.1920 (b/w photo) by American Photographer, (20th century); Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent; ePhiladelphia History Museum at

The Rue Mosnier with Workmen, 1878 (oil on canvas)
CH376479 The Rue Mosnier with Workmen, 1878 (oil on canvas) by Manet, Edouard (1832-83); 65.4x81.5 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: La Rue Mosnier aux Paveurs; ); Photo eChristies Images; French

Piccadilly, Looking Towards the City, from London As It Is, engraved and pub
NP125781 Piccadilly, Looking Towards the City, from London As It Is, engraved and pub. by the artist, 1842 (colour litho) by Boys, Thomas Shotter (1803-74); 31.1x43.2 cm; Private Collection; English

Embankment making the tracks 1906
Labourers laying steel tracks for the new electric tram-way at Thames Embankment, London, construction started by the London County Council at the end of August 1909

Embankment torn to pieces for the trams 1906
London County Council beginning the construction of the electric tram-way along the Thames Embankment from Westminster Bridge, starting at the end of August 1909

Piccadilly roadworks 1927 Roadworks in Piccadilly, London 1927
Labourers making a trail in the pavement, for some kind of maintenance, watched by a crowd of people. 1927

Plaza de la Feria, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Aerial view of Plaza de la Feria, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, with roadworks going on. Date: circa 1900s

Sheas Hotel, 618 8th Avenue, New York, 1906 (silver gelatin print)
MNY380762 Sheas Hotel, 618 8th Avenue, New York, 1906 (silver gelatin print) by Byron Company (fl.1890-1942); 35.6x27.9 cm; Museum of the City of New York

The Park Avenue Hotel, 32nd to 33rd Street, New York, 1901 or 1902 (silver gelatin print)
MNY380698 The Park Avenue Hotel, 32nd to 33rd Street, New York, 1901 or 1902 (silver gelatin print) by Byron Company (fl.1890-1942); 27.9x35.6 cm; Museum of the City of New York

Roadworks in Whitehall, London, 1900 (b / w photo)
5998546 Roadworks in Whitehall, London, 1900 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Roadworks in Whitehall, London, 1900)

Road menders enduring a heatwave (b / w photo)
3637517 Road menders enduring a heatwave (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Road menders enduring a heatwave)

Road resurfacing work in Cornhill (b / w photo)
3637339 Road resurfacing work in Cornhill (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Road resurfacing work in Cornhill)

Hotel Astor, c. 1910-21 (b / w photo)
1078720 Hotel Astor, c.1910-21 (b/w photo) by Hassler, William Davis (1877-1921); Collection of the New-York Historical Society, USA; (add.info.: Hotel Astor)

To the Nick, 1893 (zincograph)
615508 To the Nick, 1893 (zincograph) by Vallotton, Felix Edouard (1865-1925); 32.8x50 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: Au Violon); Photo eChristies Images; Swiss, out of copyright

Laying underground telephone cables in London, 1900 (b / w photo)
6015112 Laying underground telephone cables in London, 1900 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Laying underground telephone cables in London, 1900)

British Museum, 1850 (w / c on paper)
5890788 British Museum, 1850 (w/c on paper) by Findlay, James (fl.1820); height: 21 cm; London Metropolitan Archives, City of London; (add.info)

The lowering of the road under the Queen Street bridges is well under way. The one side has been completed and traffic travelling eastwards is now running on the newly lowered surface

Durban Street, Blyth. 2nd July 1974

A workman on the 6th March 1989 using a pneumatic drill, which can cause the vibration white finger industrial disease

Joes Quiet Day Joe Gormley National Union of Mineworkers. March 1974 S74-1491

Landscape with Roller (Le paysage au rouleau). Creator: Alphonse Legros
Landscape with Roller (Le paysage au rouleau)

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"Unearthing the Past: A Journey through Roadworks" Step back in time and witness the evolution of roadworks, from mechanical diggers to manual laborers, as we explore captivating snapshots from different eras. In Highgate's Old Toll Gate, a mechanical digger stands tall against the backdrop of history, reminding us of the countless journeys it has witnessed. Traveling further back to 1936 in Swanley, Kent, roads are being meticulously tarred by skilled workers who paved the way for smoother travels. The early 1900s take us to London where tram tracks were being laid with precision and care, shaping the city's transportation landscape. Fast forward to April 1992 in Cornwall's Queen Street; amidst music shop noise, life buzzes as people go about their daily routines. Labourer Mr. Idris Silman takes a well-deserved break in Tredegar, Wales - his hard work contributing to building stronger communities one road at a time. Birmingham's Worcester Street and Market Hall Bull Ring offer a bustling street scene that captures both progress and tradition coexisting harmoniously. Across continents in Washington D. C. , 1943 reveals ground preparation for emergency buildings during wartime - an enduring testament to resilience amid adversity. In San Francisco Salvation Army scenes captured by Dorothea Lange in 1939, we witness how they are bring people together - whether through song or providing employment opportunities during challenging times. As we reflect on these glimpses into history, let us appreciate not only the physical transformation brought about by roadworks but also their profound impact on society.