Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
This is a three-stage then and now video made from views taken from three different time periods showing the changes to the view over time.
I’m standing on the top of Derby Cathedral looking west towards where today Joseph Wright Centre is located.
This is one that it would be good to take a current photograph of because its 21 years since I took the last view and in that time yet more has changed such as new student housing built to the left of the Joseph Wright Centre and new developments on Brook Street.
Far left/back of all three views is the Sir Peter Hilton Court student accommodation, of course that whole area was demolished in 2023 and has since been replaced with The Cavendish Building.
In the April 2004 view the single storey buildings you can see on the plot of land was a dentists, I think.
As you can see the whole plot is surrounded by temporary metal fencing ready for the Joseph Wright Centre development.
By July 2004 you can see that a lot of the steel framework of the new college is in place.
In the Monday 28th March 2005 view, you can see that they have clad the new building.
Constants in all views are BBC Radio Derby building on the far right (while building), there is Chapel Street Multistorey car park on the right. Willows Sports centre and Megazone on Willow Row. The back of The Bless pub, Longs Mill on Brook Street.
Notice that the terraced house (7 Chapel Street) looks like it has a new roof fitted between 2004 and 2005 as you can see the tiles change colour and those vents vanish.
Photo A taken : 12th April 2004
Photo B taken : 24th July 2004
Photo C taken : 28th March 2005
Time elapsed : 3 months then 8 months
Past & Present - in fading Photographs.
High quality resolution fading photos showing local scenes as they were and how they are today from exactly the same view point. Then and now, Now and then, Past and Present, Old and New, Before and After. Call it what you want, just try one and see the effect!
The presentations you can see here are the result of many hours of work put in by myself ensuring that the old and new photographs line up precisely, I don't publish any if I'm not 100% happy with the match.
derbyphotos.co.uk/thenandnow
Please note that the Then & now section on my website is currently in need of a revamp as they were all created back in 2005 using Flash and this is no longer supported so I will have to recreate all of my work again using a different method. In the meantime I'm publishing them on my YouTube channel like this one.
Best viewed on a large computer screen or smart TV as this is recorded in 4K resolution with great music so a real waste watching it on a small phone screen. Did you know you can cast it to your smart tv from the YouTube app?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music Credits :
'The Restoration' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks
Andy
This is a three-stage then and now video made from views taken from three different time periods showing the changes to the view over time.
I’m standing on the top of Derby Cathedral looking west towards where today Joseph Wright Centre is located.
This is one that it would be good to take a current photograph of because its 21 years since I took the last view and in that time yet more has changed such as new student housing built to the left of the Joseph Wright Centre and new developments on Brook Street.
Far left/back of all three views is the Sir Peter Hilton Court student accommodation, of course that whole area was demolished in 2023 and has since been replaced with The Cavendish Building.
In the April 2004 view the single storey buildings you can see on the plot of land was a dentists, I think.
As you can see the whole plot is surrounded by temporary metal fencing ready for the Joseph Wright Centre development.
By July 2004 you can see that a lot of the steel framework of the new college is in place.
In the Monday 28th March 2005 view, you can see that they have clad the new building.
Constants in all views are BBC Radio Derby building on the far right (while building), there is Chapel Street Multistorey car park on the right. Willows Sports centre and Megazone on Willow Row. The back of The Bless pub, Longs Mill on Brook Street.
Notice that the terraced house (7 Chapel Street) looks like it has a new roof fitted between 2004 and 2005 as you can see the tiles change colour and those vents vanish.
Photo A taken : 12th April 2004
Photo B taken : 24th July 2004
Photo C taken : 28th March 2005
Time elapsed : 3 months then 8 months
Past & Present - in fading Photographs.
High quality resolution fading photos showing local scenes as they were and how they are today from exactly the same view point. Then and now, Now and then, Past and Present, Old and New, Before and After. Call it what you want, just try one and see the effect!
The presentations you can see here are the result of many hours of work put in by myself ensuring that the old and new photographs line up precisely, I don't publish any if I'm not 100% happy with the match.
derbyphotos.co.uk/thenandnow
Please note that the Then & now section on my website is currently in need of a revamp as they were all created back in 2005 using Flash and this is no longer supported so I will have to recreate all of my work again using a different method. In the meantime I'm publishing them on my YouTube channel like this one.
Best viewed on a large computer screen or smart TV as this is recorded in 4K resolution with great music so a real waste watching it on a small phone screen. Did you know you can cast it to your smart tv from the YouTube app?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music Credits :
'The Restoration' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks
Andy
