LAYERTHORPE must be one of the most changed areas of York.

The power station, the gasworks and the rows of close-packed terraced houses that once dominated the area are long gone. And Layerthorpe Bridge itself has undergone several transformations.

Our main image today, showing a view across the area in the 1930s, gives a real sense of what it was once like. The photo is dominated by the gasometer in the foreground. But it is the labyrinth of tight-packed terraces receding into the distance that really catch the eye. Most of the buildings in this photo were demolished decades ago - so this picture really is a glimpse into the past.

The area that is now Layerthorpe and Foss Islands Road was, in medieval times, dominated by the King’s Pool, a large lake that served almost as part of the city’s defences. By the 18th century this had begun to silt up and in the mid 19th century small industries such as potteries and brick kilns had grown up.

The York Gas Light Company was set up on the west side of the Foss in the 1820s. By the end of the 1800s Foss Islands Road had been created, the gas works had been expanded, and a power station and refuse destructor had been built. The Foss Islands railway branch connected most of these industries to the rail network.

From the mid-late 1900s the gas works site went through several periods of expansion and re-organisation until it closed in the 1970s. Most of the terraced streets, home to generations of York people, were demolished between the 1950s and 1970s, along with the pubs and shops which had served them.

Today, Layerthorpe is a mainly commercial district, with just the huge chimney next to Morrison’s left to remind us of the area’s industrial past.

All out photos today come from Imagine York’s brilliant digital archive. They give a fascinating glimpse into a lost Layerthorpe, whether it’s the narrow terraces – such as Wilson’s Row - dominated by gasometers; a glimpse into the back yards of people’s homes; or photographs of various attempts to deconstruct Layerthorpe Bridge (in 1925 and 1996 in the photos we have here).

You can see more photos like this at Explore York's digital archive - visit images.exploreyork.org.uk/