WHILE researching for this feature, I noticed that many photographers over the years have taken to the air to gain a bird’s eye view of Basingstoke and various developments across the area.

Here is a selection of aerial photographs I’ve found in the Gazette archives.

Picture 1 – Basing View. Gazette photographer Miles Bishop stood on the roof of the AA’s Fanum House to capture this shot of a 1980s Basing View. A lot of the high rise buildings in the photo have since been demolished.

Picture 2 – Aerial view of 1979 Basingstoke by Ron Boshier. This photo captures the start of building work for phase 2 of Basingstoke town centre, now known as The Malls which opened in 1981.

Picture 3 – Aerial view from the mid 1980s. Most of the lower half of town has been demolished and replaced by Festival Place. The layout in the War Memorial Park has changed too with the relocation of the bandstand and removal of the tennis courts.

Don’t forget, we also welcome your memories to include on this page in the future and to take part in our upcoming My Basingstoke Memories section of this feature where we want to hear your favourite memories of the town.

You can get in touch via the Facebook page above or by emailing basingstokememories@gmail.com.