They capture more than a century of human endeavour on a stupendous scale, from the South Coast to Scotland.
The Victorian sewer system, the Manchester Ship Canal and London’s iconic Tower Bridge are just some of the epic 19th-century constructions featured in this photo gallery.
Motorways, a nuclear power station, the Queensway Tunnel beneath the River Mersey, and an early warning system for incoming missiles are among the major 20th-century works pictured taking shape.
These fascinating photos show not just the scale of the building projects concerned, and the mighty machinery involved, but the architects who conceived them, and the workers without whose toil they would never have happened.
From shipyards to building sites across the nation, these pictures celebrate those men and women upon whose hard graft Britain was built.
Some of these buildings, bridges and other landmarks have dramatically altered the skyline; most have changed the way we live, often adding ease and convenience to our lives.
29. Forth Road Bridge
The end of the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland, where the suspension cables are anchored, in April 1962. The Forth Railway Bridge, a cantilever bridge completed in 1890, can be seen in the background. The suspension bridge was built to alleviate severe traffic problems. | Getty Images Photo: John Drysdale/Keystone Features
30. Head for heights
A worker at the top of the Forth Road Bridge, over the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh, taps the cables into position in their channels during construction work in April 1962 | Getty Images Photo: John Drysdale/Keystone Features
31. Central Public Library
The Central Public Library in Manchester under construction in January 1934 | Heritage Images via Getty Images Photo: Historic England
32. Queen Mary
Farmers gather their crops in the foreground as the great Cunard White Star liner Queen Mary takes shape at John Brown's shipyard on Clydebank in August 1934 | Getty Images Photo: Hudson