Technology
Google Maps reveals how biggest US and UK cities have changed over decades
MOST people use Google Maps to plan a future journey but did you know the website can also take you back in time?
On the desktop version of Google Street View you can use a timer tool in the top left corner to see what a place looked like years earlier.
Google MapsLondon’s famous Portobello Road Market in 2019[/caption]
Google MapsThis was it looking less colourful in 2008[/caption]
London Portobello Road
London’s famous Portobello Road Market is a great example of how a place can visibly change on Street View.
The market attracts plenty of tourists and locals every weekend.
The last time the Google Maps teams visited was in 2019.
You can use Street View to view the road as far back as 2008 and you’ll notice some big differences.
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Back in 2008 there was a Woolworths on the street and no market or Union Jack banners.
London Bridge
Google MapsLondon Bridge before The Shard[/caption]
Google MapsLondon Bridge with the Shard in 2019[/caption]
London Bridge is another great example because you can see the central location with and without The Shard.
The UK’s tallest building was built in 2009 but Street View can take you back to what London Bridge looked like in 2008.
New York
Google MapsA Street View of New York from 2011 shows a Kardashian billboard[/caption]
Google MapsSkip to July 2021 and Red Lobster is still there but all the billboards have changed[/caption]
Anywhere near New York’s Times Square is fun to use the tool because the billboards noticeably change.
Back in June 2011 the Kardashian’s were being advertised.
Fast forward to today and the famous reality TV series ended earlier this year.
Chicago
Google MapsChicago in 2009[/caption]
Google MapsChicago in 2021[/caption]
A Google Street View trip to Chicago Riverwalk can show you how skyscrapers have been built there over the years.
Street View can take you from 2021 to 2009, when there were a few less buildings near the river.
Manchester, Salford
MediaCityUK in 2021
The Salford site back in 2008
A trip down to Salford on Google Street View can show you Media City and what it looked like before it was built.
MediaCityUK is based on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal and is home to some ITV and BBC offices.
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